Port-au-Prince , Haiti ( CNN ) -- Just two days before the earthquake struck Haiti , 2007 CNN Hero Boby Duval was celebrating the completion of a wall he 'd built to surround -- and secure -- his youth program 's athletic center in Port-au-Prince . On January 12 , when the temblor hit , that wall -- 15 years in the making -- collapsed . `` To have this come to us , it 's really beyond imagination . Of all places , '' Duval said of his homeland . Duval has been welcoming children from the slums of Haiti to his sports program , L'Athletique d'Haiti ( Athletes of Haiti ) , since 1996 . But today , the field where the kids play is serving as a refuge for Haitian families displaced by the devastating earthquake . Goalposts are being used to build makeshift shelters for some people , while others are sleeping in tents Duval has provided . `` We are saving the concrete blocks . We are trying to keep it secure , '' Duval said . `` What we 're trying to do is keep it clean , set up some bathrooms , set up some water and give them care , understanding ... so they are safe here . '' Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has a history of political violence , extreme poverty and natural disasters , a history that Duval has witnessed firsthand . Duval , a Haitian who was educated in the United States and Canada , was a national soccer champion in college . When he returned to Haiti , however , he was imprisoned , starved and tortured under the rule of President Jean-Claude ( `` Baby Doc '' ) Duvalier . Duval spent 17 months in jail and says he witnessed more than 180 deaths among fellow prisoners . On the brink of death himself and weighing just 90 pounds , Duval 's life was saved in 1977 , when then-President Carter 's administration intervened and demanded the release of all political prisoners in Haiti . Once released , Duval vowed to help make Haiti a better place . He started a support group for former political prisoners and worked as a human rights advocate . Along the way , he realized he wanted to pass on the values that were important to him to a new generation of Haitians . `` If you 're gon na change a society , I think you need to give some good foundations to people who are willing to receive those basic values , '' he said . `` The youth are important , because the youth are the future . '' In 1996 , Duval started L'Athletique d'Haiti , which gives kids from some of the poorest neighborhoods an opportunity to get off the streets , play a sport and receive a daily meal . `` The objective is for me to make a contribution to the Haitian society in terms of the physical , mental and psychological development of the Haitian kid , '' he said . `` To me , the day that I can say that every kid in Haiti has the opportunity to come -- and peacefully and in the best conditions -- develop his mental and physical power , I feel that I can die in peace . '' Duval 's program has grown to serve 1,500 kids ages 6 to 20 in five locations in Haiti . In addition to athletics , they build social skills and participate in educational and tutoring programs . Now , three weeks after the earthquake shattered Haiti 's already fragile infrastructure , the youth of L'Athletique continue to play on the fields of the main Drouillard compound in Port-au-Prince . But now , many live there as well . `` You 've got to serve , and you have to save , '' Duval said . `` That 's what we 've got to do now . '' Want to get involved ? Check out Boby Duval 's Web site and see how to help .
Youth program 's athletic field serves as refuge for families displaced by quake . Boby Duval has welcomed children from Haiti 's slums to his program since 1996 . 2007 CNN Hero and Haitian native was imprisoned under Duvalier regime . Freed in 1977 with help of President Carter , Duval has vowed to help improve Haiti .