ARTICLE - TAIWAN CONSTRUCTION OF A VILLAGE

TAIWAN CONFIRMS THE CONSTRUCTION OF A VILLAGE IN ST-MICHEL DE L'ATALAYE
(Haiti Libre) -

Thomas Hou, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, denied the allegations of some media, who claimed that the Taiwan government had not kept its promise and that the Red Cross of the Republic of China and the Ministry's had not met their responsibilities concerning the construction of the projet "New Hope Village" which will accommodate 200 families in St. Michel de l'Atalaye [about 200 km from the capital, Port-au-Prince].

Hou declared that the project was delayed among other reasons, due to difficulties in the transportation of the machinery and the delivery of materials, the absence of a road to the site and the availability of land that must be acquired by the Haitian Government.

Hou Thomas indicated that the obstacles to this project were finally removed and that the construction of the village should begin in July of this year. 379 hectares for the site were provided by the Haitian government, and the construction of a road was launched in March. "If the road is completed by next month, the village could be completed within 14 months" Hou said. "The project is now progressing in accordance with our plan," adding that his ministry and the Chinese Red Cross had signed a letter of intent in April and signed construction contracts last month.

The cost of the project "New Hope Village" was also revised upward, initially at $3.2 million, the budget is now $5.5 million due to the addition of an additional school, a health center, a water tank and an office building. In addition to the construction of houses for 200 families, the project also includes an agricultural program to help families in this projet, and to develop skills.

$2.8 million will be provided by the Red Cross of the Republic of China and 2.7 million by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Taiwan.

Taiwan has maintained diplomatic relations with Haiti for over 50 years and was the first Asian country to send a rescue team after the earthquake of January 2010. The Government of Taiwan and the private sector, have also donated $16 million to Haiti in cash and relief materials, for post-earthquake operations.