It is with great sadness that The Moodie Davitt Report reports the death of Filipe Fernandes. The following is from a statement on the Hand in Hand for Haiti website:
“It is with infinite sorrow, emotion and anger that the Hand in Hand for Haiti Foundation, and the school, Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable de Saint-Marc, announce the death of Filipe Fernandes.
“Filipe was attacked by bandits on the morning of Thursday, 28 March near the school. He was rushed to Saint-Nicolas hospital in Saint-Marc, where he died of his wounds. The Hand in Hand for Haiti Foundation and the school, Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable, send sincere condolences to his wife Karen Fernandes, his father, Fr. Joâo Fernandes, and his sisters Anabel Vieira and Lidia Cardoso Dos Reis Fernandes.
“Filipe was an architect and a Portuguese national who lived in the USA. Since 2010, he dedicated his talent and passion to the construction and maintenance of the Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable school campus. Fernandes made Haiti his second home. He loved the country and its people and had planted roots there.”
The statement notes that the bandits “not only stole Filipe’s life, causing unimaginable loss to his family and his many friends, but they also seriously endangered the jobs of these workers, the mission of the teachers and other employees and the hope of the students and families of Saint-Marc who benefit from the school and foundation”.
“This brutal and senseless event is all the more shocking because it targeted a foreign national who came to Haiti to dedicate himself, body and soul, to building a world-class school to serve our students and the community.
“The death of Filipe Fernandes is an immeasurable loss for the Hand in Hand for Haiti Foundation, and the school, Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable. It is also a terrible loss for Haiti.
“His work will not be forgotten.
“We wish that this great soul full of kindness and compassion may rest in peace.”
Footnote: The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie, a founding member of the Hand in Hand for Haiti Board, will add a statement in due course.