Haiti native Wilner Joseph accompanied Habitat for Humanity to the earthquake-ravaged nation last November to help build homes for Haitians who were living in tents. Two years ago when an earthquake devastated his native Haiti, Monroe Township, Middlesex County, resident Wilner Joseph knew he had to help.
And though his urge to assist in the rebuilding process has not been diminished by time, he worries that may be the case with most people.
“After two years, you don’t hear much about Haiti anymore, so you have to keep it in the forefront so people can still remember that we need help down there,” Joseph said. “The country still needs a lot of work, but slowly we can see the hope. It’s slow, but the change is happening.”
Shortly after the earthquake struck Haiti, he collected relief funds and supplies with the help of co-workers and fellow congregants of Mount of Olives Church of God, Orange, but he soon felt the need to do more.
“We sent a lot of stuff, but I wanted to do something tangible instead of just sending money,” he said.
This determination brought Joseph, 48, to Habitat for Humanity, an organization he eventually join for a week last November, assisting in the charity’s mission to build 400 homes.
The 280-square-foot homes, which are expandable, were built to withstand future natural disasters, especially hurricanes, he said, adding that he and his 10-member team built two homes in a week.
“It was a very rewarding experience,” he said. “The last day, when we had to turn over the house to the homeowners, it was a touching moment. We came in and started from scratch, and before we left we were able to build a home for two deserving families. Prior to us coming, they had been living in tents,” Joseph added. “It made a difference in someone’s life.”
Joseph was born in Haiti and lived in the city of Gonaives before leaving the country for Montreal, Canada. He eventually came to New Jersey at the age of 13.
He has resided in Monroe for five years. Joseph still has many relatives in Haiti. Fortunately, none lost their lives in the earthquake, despite the fact that his brother was working in the capital city that fateful day. Joseph’s brother was in a meeting in Port-au-Prince and needed to excuse himself to get paperwork from his car.
“As soon as he walked out, the earthquake happened,” Joseph said. “Everyone who was in the building died.”
He hopes to return to Haiti with Habitat for Humanity and is waiting for the organization to set a date for its next service trip.
“[The country] is still very devastated, but there is a glimmer of hope because we have a lot of new roads that we did not have before down there, new hospitals, some new schools. There is a lot of hope coming in,” Joseph said. “Haiti was a beautiful, beautiful island before this. They used to call it the pearl of the Caribbean, so we are trying to bring it back to that status again.”