Current Watch Site

Within four weeks of the January 2010 earthquake, WMF was in the field in Haiti, working with local and international institutions to coordinate assistance efforts and to forge a collaborative project aimed at the recovery of the Gingerbread Neighborhood. (...)

Within four weeks of the January 2010 earthquake, WMF was in the field in Haiti, working with local and international institutions to coordinate assistance efforts and to forge a collaborative project aimed at the recovery of the Gingerbread Neighborhood. The combined investment and cooperative interests of WMF, Fondation Connaissance et Liberté (FOKAL), the Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP), and ICOMOS, along with the support of the Prince Claus Fund, led to an assessment mission to evaluate the conditions of the gingerbread houses, the results of which are published in Preserving Haiti’s Gingerbread Houses: 2010 Earthquake Mission Report.

The next phase of the project focuses on capacity building and education. With the collaboration of the Institut du Patrimoine wallon, artisans are being trained in traditional construction and conservation techniques, and workshops for building-related professionals and homeowners are under development. The overall aim is to develop a cadre of skilled heritage practitioners and a body of educational materials that can advance conservation efforts in the Gingerbread Neighborhood and throughout Haiti.