Plan shows results of its intervention as country marks five-year anniversary of Haiti earthquake.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (7 January) – CONTINUED investment, especially in children and young people, is needed in Haiti, five years after the deadly earthquake reduced it to rubble, says child rights and humanitarian organisation Plan International.
On January 12, 2010, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere was struck with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake near its capital Port-au-Prince, affecting 3.5 million people, killing an estimated 220,000 people and destroying or damaging 4,000 schools*.
Five years on, the landscape is very different. Now, most of the estimated 19 million cubic metres of rubble generated by the earthquake is gone. Over one million people – some 10% of the entire population of Haiti - made homeless by the earthquake have been rehoused after living in camps since the earthquake.
Roads, especially in Port-au-Prince, have been repaired and many paved for the first time. Houses damaged by the earthquake have been rebuilt and small businesses have multiplied. Several international standard hotels and large supermarkets have also been constructed.
Plan was at the forefront of the emergency response, rebuilding schools and setting up child friendly spaces, to ensure children were able to access psychosocial support in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.
John Chaloner, Plan International in Haiti’s Country Director, says:
“The collapse of the education system, with about half the schools in the country being affected by the earthquake, has been reversed and today there are more children in school, at least at the primary school level, than ever before. This is thanks, in part, to organisations such as Plan International who supported schools throughout the rebuilding process.”
However, it was the people of Haiti that made the real difference, says Chaloner.
“The Haitian Government, huge amounts of cash, donors, the alphabet soup of UN agencies and international NGOs, plus a cacophony of other aid groups contributed to the recovery to date but, as could be argued is always the case in such times of crisis, it is ordinary people who prove themselves extraordinary.”
Plan ensured all of its efforts were focused on lifting people out of poverty – particularly young people and women.
However, the country remains poor with a still fragile education system, poor and expensive health services and high unemployment.
"There is still work to be done," says Chaloner, "and Plan remains committed to helping those who are most vulnerable and in need, in order to break the cycle of poverty and disaster vulnerability.
Meanwhile, Tjipke Bergsma, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean makes a call for international cooperation to increase the aid for this country:
"Haiti still needs lots of support. We have achieved several successes, but still much is needs to be done in areas like education, health and housing. Providing employment opportunities for young people can make a difference. People need to have a job and a higher income to aid recovery."