Many houses in Haiti are built from mud and stick, with unfinished floors made of dirt. We think this is unacceptable and strive to change this. Our Concrete Floor program began in 2013, as a result from seeing children in our programs with high amount of skin disorders and constantly being sick.

OUR PROCESS

Most of our families who receive a cement floor live on less than $2 a day. It is first our goal for every family in the Mil Jou program to receive a cement floor. If that need has been met, we use local leaders to identify those most in need of floors. This helps us create a connection within each community and family, building trust and understanding. As we build these connections, this often helps us identify others in need.

Often, short-term teams will help pour and finish floors during trips. A donation of $500 provides a typical Haitian home with a floor. This cost covers materials and labor for each home. We strive to source local materials and labor. This creates a benefit, not just for the family receiving the floor, but for the local economy too. The family is responsible for providing the water to install the floor and feeding the crew working on the home. 

OUTCOMES

One of our goals through the program is to provide each family enrolled in our Love in Action initiatives with a floor. This reduces sickness in children, dramatically decreasing infant deaths from preventable diseases, and increasing school attendance in older children. Parents are then saving money on any related medical expenses.

We also partner with multiple churches, who often help provide donations necessary for floors.