By Olivia Maxine Robinson | Project Leader
Bonswa GlobalGiving Family,
In our last report, we shared how our Partner Community in Cupiton was steadily reinforcing a critical drainage canal to protect families from flooding and waterborne disease. Then Hurricane Melissa struck Petit-Goâve hard. Preparation became emergency response overnight.
Hurricane Melissa: A Sudden Shift
The hurricane caused devastating loss. Lives were taken, many were children. Homes were destroyed. More than 400 families across our Mountainside Partner Community and Petit-Goâve Proper (Cupiton) Partner Community were directly impacted. Canal construction paused. Breaking ground on the Bonna Dieuseul Health & Wellness Center paused. But community leadership did not pause.
Immediate Community-Led Response
Because of your support, C2C Haïti sent emergency funds directly to our Partner Communities’ Stakeholder Associations, APHD and ODCP, who activated response efforts immediately.
Together, they:
When flooding increased cholera risks, prevention efforts began at once.
Cholera Intervention in Action
APHD and ODCP mobilized quickly, creating:
These actions are preventing outbreaks before they spread.
Clearing the Canal — Faster, Smarter
The canal that overflowed during Hurricane Melissa contaminated our Partner Community in Cupiton’s only water source. Cleaning it by hand would have required 100 people and over two months of labor. Because of your donations, we diverted emergency funds to our Community Stakeholder Association, ODCP, so they could rent a nearby excavator and begin clearing immediately.
The machine did the heavy lifting. The community will complete the reinforcement work. The excavator was already one town away, saving thousands in transport costs. Strategic timing. Responsible stewardship.
Rebuilding After Loss
Responsab Eugène, President of APHD, our Mountainside Partner Community Stakeholder Association, shared images of homes damaged or destroyed. Many families lost not only shelter, but livestock and gardens, their primary sources of income. Recovery is not only rebuilding structures. It is restoring stability.
Healing Beyond Infrastructure
Trauma does not end when floodwaters recede. On December 18th, six nurses and health workers from our Partner Communities began certification as Trauma Healing Facilitators through training by the Trauma Healing Institute, funded by Rev. Jocelyn and Faith On The Journey. This ensures emotional and mental recovery is led locally, not externally.
What This Means Moving Forward
Hurricane Melissa paused canal reinforcement phases and delayed groundbreaking for the Health & Wellness Center. It also reinforced why both are urgent.
The canal protects homes.
The Health & Wellness Center protects lives.
Preparedness reduces trauma.
What’s Next
Because of you, the community did not wait in fear. They acted.
Development With Dignity
You did not fund panic. You funded preparedness.
You did not fund dependency. You funded leadership.
Thank you for standing with Petit-Goâve before, during, and after the storm.
Mèsi Anpil,
- The C2C Haïti Team
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
