As part of the church-led initiative known as the Partnership for the Reconstruction of the Church in Haiti (PROCHE), millions of dollars donated by U.S. parishioners have helped fund dozens of new infrastructure that replaced church structures destroyed in the 2010 earthquake

Progress was particularly visible from 2013 to 2017, with the opening of buildings and the regular award of contracts for new projects, said Jacques Liautaud, Director of Haiti at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, partner from NEAR.

A total of 43 projects (as of May 2020) 16 more were underway funded by the $33 million in donations.

The completed projects include 15 churches, seven rectorates, seven convents or residences for religious, five schools, four novitiates, three chapels and two community centers.

A dozen churches, a rectory, a chapel and a seminary for a religious congregation are in various stages of construction

$28 million has been spent on reconstruction projects, leaving around $8 million in the balance. Of the total, nearly $4 million has been allocated to a new major seminary, a priority for the Haitian bishops to prepare priests for the priesthood.

For the Catholic bishops of Haiti, the results of PROCHE's activities are rather mixed. The bishops of Haiti expected more reconstructions. However, given that the estimated damage to the buildings of the church which exceeded 150 million dollars, priorities had to be set according to the funds available, recalls Jacques Liautaud, who predicts that the program will continue until 2023.

IH/ iciHaiti