A New Zealander who survived the Haiti earthquake but lost her husband and two daughters is asking compatriots to help save a school in the crippled country.
Emily Sanson-Rejouis, of Nelson, and her two-year-old daughter Alyahna survived the January 12 quake which killed more than 200,000, including Mrs Sanson-Rejouis' French-Haitian husband Emmanual Rejouis and daughters Kofi-Jade, five, and Zenzie Sanson-Rejouis, three.
Mrs Sanson-Rejouis was now working to replace destroyed classrooms at the Source of Hope School in Leogane, the city where her husband was born, with help from Nelson businessman Hans Baerselman and Versatile Buildings.
Since the disaster, the school had used tents as classrooms.
Mr Baerselman had bought a kitset building from Versatile Buildings at cost price, to be modified into classrooms, and was paying for it to be shipped to Haiti and assembled in Leogane.
Donated goods were also being sought to ship to Haiti, including first aid supplies, building equipment, toiletries, school supplies, clothes, sports equipment, blankets and towels and school chairs.
The project was being carried out by the Kenbe La Foundation, which Mrs Sanson-Rejouis established in memory of her husband and daughters.
Kenbe la was Haitian Creole for "never give up".
Donations of money could be made at the Bank of New Zealand, while more information, including drop-off spots for donations, was online at http://www.kenbelafoundation.org
NZPA