January 5, 2026

Craig Breckenridge

Experiences in Haiti

Background:

Craig Breckenridge is a Designer who specializes in complex structures. He and his wife Linda left their life in Clayton Heights in 2014 and moved to the remote fishing village of Dame Marie, Haiti to perform humanitarian work. Arriving just 4 years after the 2010 earthquake they documented their new life in images and experiences. In 2019 after surviving the 2016 Category 5 Hurricane Matthew, they moved back to Canada and eventually settled in Sorrento, BC where they lead a life of retirement (or semi-retirement for Craig). Craig continues his work in design and Linda volunteers locally as a dispatcher for our First Responders.

The following are some notes about Craig's presentation.

Craig Breckenridge is a member of our club.  He and his wife Linda Brooks came to the Shuswap in 2020 from the Lower Mainland.  He shared their amazing adventures in Haiti from 2013 to the present.  First thing we learned was that the natives call it Ayiti, which is Haiti in Creole, the main language.  Second language is Spanish, third is English.

Craig gave us lots of information about Haiti, including extremely low income and literacy rates.  Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and the third poorest in the world.  Just a few of the facts Craig shared with us: the average income for a family is about $480/year; 1 in 5 children under the age of 5 die before the age of 5; and only 10% of children who attend elementary school go on to high school.

Craig’s sister Lynda and her husband Marceau met in 2002 and shared a passion for creating a better future for underprivileged children.  They formed Solidarite Dame Marie Inc., a 501C3 charity.

In 2013 Craig and Linda went to Haiti to bring Christmas to children. This was the beginning of their love of the country and their work to help its people.  They sold their home in Clayton Heights and moved to Haiti.  The house they bought collapsed when they tried to renovate, so they had to build a totally new house, mostly of handmade bricks. They had solar panels and had lots of power to run air conditioning and all appliances. This one was earthquake-proof – but not hurricane proof, as they found out.

The photos from Haiti really gave us a picture of what life is like there.  Many places have no power or sewage.  The National Highway has some pavement, but much of it is dirt or mud. Most places have few trees.

We found out that although many people are Catholic or other religions, everyone believes in Voodoo completely.  This is taken very seriously in Haiti.

Craig shared many pictures of some of the disasters in Haiti, starting with the earthquake in 2010.  Hurricane Sandy (“Superstorm Sandy”) was famous for ravishing the Mid-Atlantic states in October 2012, but it also hit Haiti as a category 3 storm and did extensive damage.

The biggest disaster was October 4, 2016, when Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti.  It was category 5 when it hit Haiti, the strongest hurricane in their history. Craig told us about the unbelievable damage done to their home. We were all horrified to see the photos of the aftermath.  It was also amazing to hear about some of the things that survived, like their wine glasses!  Craig’s nephew stayed at the house and thankfully survived.

The nearby Plonquette School was very small but was completely destroyed in the hurricane.  After the hurricane, Solidarite Dame Marie was given some land and built a new school and got it accredited. The charity owns the land (so no taxes) and the school is basically finished.  Lunches are provided, also uniforms, and even a marching band.  This is the only school that is free in their province, possibly in the whole country.

Craig happened to talk to someone on one of his flights from Miami to Vancouver, which led to a company helping with funding the project. They are very dependent on donations to keep them running. Their belief is the only way to improve things in a country is through education.

Accomplishments of Solidarite Dame Marie so far:

• Provided shelter and food for 60 men, women and children for a year after the earthquake in 2010

• Helped over 3000 children attend school through sponsorship and school programs

• Created a library in one of Dame Marie’s high schools; the only library in the town of 40,000

• Sent 6 students to university in Port au Prince

• Built and operate Solidarite Dame-Marianne Ecole Communitaire with over 180 students each year

• Feed 700 students and teaching staff as well as provide presents for the children at Christmas each year.

Craig closed his presentation with a video of a school project, with students doing the cup game and singing.  Linda’s YouTube folder is listed below if you would like to see more of her stunning photos: https://www.youtube.com/@lindy8510

The link to the school music video is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wROe-1IxKBE&list=RDwROe-1IxKBE&start_radio=1

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If you want to know more about this charity or how you can help, check their Facebook Page. Please note that this is a US registered charity and tax receipts are not given to international donors (The FB page is kept current):

https://www.facebook.com/solidarity.damemarian/

There is a link on the FB page to our old site for more information that is a bit out of date:

http://www.sdmarian.org/

There is a link to the video on that page or you can use the direct link on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/wROe-1IxKBE?si=8EcLCLFGwNxbb6cg