Jan. 13 – The 53 house village is an Italian Red Cross project in the Croix de Bouquet neighborhood in Port au Prince, Haiti’s capital devastated by the catastrophic earthquake of January 12, 2010. The earthquake caused the deaths of 217 300 people and left more than 2 million Haitians homeless: the inauguration of the village is planned for the month of March, while the new school was made operational since last September, in order to allow pupils to continue the school year near their new homes. The Italian and Haitian Red Cross organized the planning and funding while the building is a collaboration with the local Scalabrini Fathers mission, who use exclusively Haitian workers. “The Italian Red Cross – said Francesco Rocca, National President of the Italian Red Cross and Vice President of the IFRC – was deeply engaged during the emergency response to the earthquake. After 4 years, we are still involved in numerous activities aimed at improving the living conditions of the Haitian people. A constant commitment that has never failed and has always been possible thanks to the work of the volunteers and all those who have contributed through donations to cope with one of the most devastating emergencies in recent years.”