A new home for people fleeing violence

Haiti|2021|CBPF

Haiti, Port-au-Prince. “When Brice* grows up, I don’t want him to feel inferior to other children his age,” says his mother, Carline*.

The youngest of three siblings, Brice was born with a psychomotor disability that left him with impaired balance and unable to speak.

Initially, he received physical therapy at St. Vincent, a facility for children with disabilities in the capital, Port-au-Prince, but his family could not afford to continue the treatment.

When gang violence erupted in Port-au-Prince in June 2021, Brice and his family had to flee their home in Lapiste camp after their house was burned to the ground in a sudden attack. Like many residents, they sought safety in a local church and later in a school.

With the support of CERF, IOM and partners provided disabled residents and their families with new homes. They were also given rental subsidies, assistance to cover medical expenses, counselling services and basic livelihood training.

Now that they are safe, his mother wants Brice to attend a specialist school, and she is planning to pay the fees by starting a business with her husband. “I will not neglect Brice because of his disability,” says Carline. “On the contrary, I love him all the more because he is so fragile.”

*Names changed for privacy and protection.

Original story from UNOCHA.

More information on the CERF allocations:

‍https://cerf.un.org/what-we-do/

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