* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Esther Williams works for Christian aid organisation Tearfund, which says its vision is to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty through a global network of churches
By Esther Williams
Adults and children alike in Haiti are anxious to understand more about earthquakes, how buildings can be made more safe and what to do if one happens again.
I bumped into two builders in the countryside who were already busy building their new homes. "When we have built ours we will help build for other people, and we will build with deeper foundations this time," they tell me.
They laugh when I say, "there's plenty of work for experienced builders in Haiti at the moment. If you get it right this time, you will be millionaires next time I visit."
The resilience of Haitian people is breathtaking, how they manage to laugh and smile in the face of such adversity is beyond humbling.
There is now a strong awareness of the shortcomings in concrete building designs and the impact of compromising on construction quality in order to save money.
In addition to this, many people have had limbs amputated as a result of the earthquake and it is crucial that disabled access is integrated into the restoration of buildings.
"The long-term reconstruction of homes and institutional buildings will require close adherence to building codes and standards which reflect disaster risk reduction requirements,"
says Tearfund's infrastructure advisor, Matthew Fletcher.
"Careful consideration will also be needed to ensure that relief, recovery and reconstruction projects do not add to the environmental degradation already faced by the country by using
the correct construction materials."
With vast amounts of Haiti's forest cover destroyed, it is crucial that people are aware of where there is a risk of future flash flooding and slope erosion. As you drive through the
highlands you can already see evidence of landslides that were caused by the earthquake. Now with the soil loosened by the quake, the risk of future landslides is high.
A familiar sight in Port-au-Prince is people salvaging materials from collapsed buildings to re-sell and use again. You can understand people's desperation to do whatever they can to
make a living for themselves.
However, Tearfund are encouraging their staff to teach local communities about issues such as sustainable building supplies, not using up the remaining timber on the island or worsening
deforestation in the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
Haiti will also need a plan for reforestation as part of its recovery programme.
