Marie Lea Fredlin in front of her Habitat upgradable shelter

Marie Léa Fredlin lost her home on January 12th 2010 when an earthquake devastated her native Haiti.

“We were outside when the earthquake struck,” says  Marie Léa . “Thank God nobody was inside the house, because it was completely destroyed.”

For nearly 18 months, Marie Léa , 30, her husband and their three children took refuge in a small, dark and humid tent which did little to protect them from heavy rains and heat. Habitat for Humanity visited the family and recognised them as being in desperate need of better shelter. “They came and took my name after inspecting my land.” Marie Léa recalls. “Now I possess this shelter where my family can sleep comfortably, unlike before.”

Marie Léa’s new upgradable shelter, on land where her former home stood, is one of 2,000 to be constructed in Léogâne, Haiti, by Habitat for Humanity.

Finding a livelihood has become top priority for Marie Léa and her husband. Before the earthquake, she used to sell clothing and food. “My husband and I are trying to start a business because our children are going to school and we have to take care of the newborn. Receiving this house is unbelievable because I didn’t know where we would find money to build a new one,” she says.

Habitat’s upgradable shelter features a timber frame and pressure-treated plywood side walls with a concrete perimeter foundation, tin roof and traditional front porch. The structure is built so that concrete blocks can be added later, as a family’s situation improves.