Taiwan-built resettlement village in Haiti inaugurated

Savane Diane, Haiti, Aug. 18 (CNA) A resettlement project in Haiti funded and built by Taiwan to house 1,000 people who lost their homes during a magnitude-7 earthquake in 2010 was inaugurated Saturday. The village of Hope, which includes housing for 200 families and an elementary school, as well as a 300-hectare area suitable for agriculture, was fully funded by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China. Thomas Jacques, Haiti's minister of agriculture, natural resources and rural development, expressed hope that the US$5.5 million project will provide a place for the quake victims to settle in Savane Diane, which is located 230 km from the capital, Port-au-Prince. The residents will also be taught agricultural techniques by a technical team from Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund, which will show them how to grow crops such as corn and sorghum, said Jacques. In addition, children in the village will be able to attend the school from this October, said Jacques, adding that his ministry will also cooperate with the country's Health Department to set up clinics in the village. Republic of China Ambassador to Haiti Liu Bang-zyh, who attended the inauguration ceremony, explained that the decision to locate the village at Savane Diane, which was less seriously hit by the earthquake than some other parts of the country, was in line with Haiti's urban development policy. He said Haiti's government also hopes to develop a remote area in north in order to create a regional balance in the population. Donus Eliriste, who moved into the village with his family, expressed gratitude for the help from Taiwan's government. (By Leaf Chiang and Hanna Liu) http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201208190018