In a country as poverty-stricken and disaster-prone as Haiti, wind of good news often comes few and far between. As such, Eduardo Duluc is especially pleased to announce that he has reached the halfway point on his company’s contract to build 3,000 houses for a housing development project in the nation. Echo Ingenieria is participating in part of a national effort towards reconstruction in Morne Bacrite, Port au Prince, an area especially hard-hit by poverty.

Especially after the devastating earthquake of 2010, Haiti has been especially hard pressed to rebuild and provide adequate housing for its citizens, countless numbers of who were displaced and homeless, refugees in their own country. Eduardo Duluc has dedicated himself to a persistent effort to improve the lives of Haitian citizens, and this housing project is only the latest in a series of endeavors.

But Eduardo Duluc is not just trying to provide housing for Haitian citizens; he wants to help rebuild the communities that once existed. People find support in their neighbors, from building strong relationships with those around them. Eduardo Duluc hopes to refoster that sense of community that displaced citizens once had. By giving them access to affordable, safe, and centrally located homes, Eduardo Duluc is creating those neighborhoods that the Haitian citizens have lost.

“It’s not enough just to make a bunch of houses,” Eduardo Duluc says. “Anyone can do that. And sure, people can live in them. But they won’t be happy. The houses I build – those are houses where you can raise your family – where your children can go out to play with the neighbor’s children.”

The second half of the housing project is expected to be completed within the next couple years. By the time it is finished, Eduardo Duluc will have given Port au Prince 3,000 new houses for its families. But according to Eduardo Duluc, he is not finished there.

“Once this contract is up, I will be looking for another. 3,000 houses aren’t enough for everyone, and so we will build more. And just like these, they will be safe and affordable,” Eduardo Duluc says.