Across a busy street from Back2Back Haiti’s campus lies Canaan, a makeshift community born from crisis. After devastating natural disasters, families fled here seeking temporary refuge, but many, like a local public transportation driver, Lhorde, his wife, and their four children, have remained for years. They faithfully participate in Haiti’s Strong Families Program, working hard to build a sustainable, healthy home life, but they faced steep obstacles at every turn.
Although they owned a small plot of land, what stood on it offered little safety or stability. Tin walls and tarps could not keep out rain, unrest, or illness. With no sanitation, no secure doors or windows, and no protected space to cook meals or study, the family faced recurring health troubles, damaged documents, and daily vulnerability. Their home was meant to be a refuge, yet every storm, every night of unrest, reopened the same wounds.
Still, they showed up. “Even in all their circumstances and trials, they faithfully came to every event,” shared Sarah Ellis, Back2Back staff. “They often arrived early to help with setup or food prep; they are a family who takes initiative.”
The need was undeniably clear: this family required a structurally safe home. Staff longed to meet that need, but the funding was minimal. And so together, they prayed, asking God to make a way.
Then, in January, a partnering church reached out wanting their gift to meet a critical, tangible need. A proposal was created for a secure concrete home for Lhorde’s family, and the church said yes immediately. This is hope in action.
Because of unrest in Haiti, construction had to happen in small, carefully timed stages. This ensures materials wouldn’t be stolen and workers could stay safe. Slowly, faithfully, the structure took shape, and in September, the family moved in. Its timing was providential; when Hurricane Melissa hit in October, their watertight roof kept them safe and dry.
One of the older boys has since called the house “the best gift they could have gotten.” He told staff he now loves the sound of rain on the tin roof, because it no longer means water pouring in, or nights spent cold and afraid.
Today, Lhorde and his family rest each night behind secure walls, knowing they are protected. This was only possible because generous partners stepped into their story.
But they are not alone in their need. Nine other Strong Families are saving for safe additions or repairs, praying for God to make a way just as He did for Lhorde’s family. Each stands at a sliding-door moment – one path keeps them vulnerable, the other opens into safety, stability, and long-term sustainability.
Your giving can be the difference between those two paths. Your generosity equips Back2Back Haiti to build secure homes, strengthen families, and protect children in one of the world’s most fragile environments.
