St Martin Community Development Project, Haiti

With approximately 60,000 inhabitants crowded into 1sq km, St Martin is one of the most densely populated and socially disadvantaged areas of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. 

Why Concern became involved
St Martin displays all the classic symptoms of urban poverty: low household incomes (66% earn less than US$25 per month); high unemployment; inadequate water sanitation; poor infrastructure and housing that is dilapidated, unsafe, unsanitary and overcrowded.

Women head up 48% of the households, but with weak health services and poor diet combined, the impact is felt most by the vulnerable of society – children.

What Concern has done
Concern has been working with the local community since 1996 to assist in attaining and sustaining a reasonable standard of living, with particular regard to water, sanitation and improved health.

We have helped the residents improve their basic infrastructure through facilitating the paving of corridors and the building of footbridges across the Rockerfeller Canal.

The cement corridors running in front of homes have replaced the earth pavements, which were muddy during the rainy season, and enable the residents to keep alleyways clean and free from disease.

Meanwhile, crossing the Rockerfeller canal was a very perilous activity over home-made wood and metal structures and the area was notorious for its use as a dumping ground for garbage and human waste.

The new footbridge funded by Concern is a solid cement structure with metal railings.

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