Haiti: 2 years after the earthquake
January 12th marked the second year anniversary of the powerful earthquake that devastated people of Haiti. The results were staggering. I remember watching the images on television as information flooded in, wondering what I possibly could do to help in such a catastrophe that resulted in more than one million homeless and 222,570 people killed.
The good news is that people and organizations around the world came together in response to the crisis, which has produced some real steps toward recovery. Aid agencies, like World Vision, have helped feed over a million people, provided clean water to hundreds of thousands and safe shelter for many. In fact, it is the biggest single-country humanitarian response ever in World Vision’s history!
The following are just some of the achievements reached by World Vision in Haiti:
- 2.57 million people assisted with food security from January 2010 to June 2011. This includes school feeding and for vulnerable families
- 2,700 transitional shelters have been provided for more than 14,000 people
- Numerous schools have been rebuilt and homes reconstructed
- 610 million litres of water has been provided to hundreds of thousands of people
- Creation of a program that helps families transition out of camps into safer, more durable housing and provides financial support for shelter, education and livelihoods
- 7,731 children have benefitted from World Vision’s child-friendly spaces in internally displaced person (IDP) camps
Although this is a time to reflect on the loss and celebrate the progress, there is still much work to be done. Over 520,000 people are still without homes and tens of thousands don’t have jobs. World Vision Canada president, Dave Toycen, recently shared his thoughts on Haiti and the ongoing challenges in an Op-Ed. In it, he says:
“The children of Haiti deserve more. In my last visit, I was reminded that it’s often those who haven’t been jaded yet that continue to teach us how to dream. Children were drawing pictures of new schools, living in new homes, and working as doctors and teachers when they grow up. In the midst of all these challenges, there is still room for hope and for dreams. The children of Haiti will never let us forget that.”
Let’s learn from the children of Haiti and keep believing, hoping and working for a better future.
Check out the links below for more features on Haiti.
- Dave Toycen’s Op-Ed: Haiti two years later
- Hope Grows in Haiti (Photo Gallery)
- The Witness: Haiti – a video with freelance photographer, Paul Bettings, shortly after the earthquake hit
- Haiti Through the Eyes of a Haitian – Video interview with Paul-Emile Cesar, World Vision aid Worker
- World Vision Report – Two Years On: Haiti Earthquake Response
