Haiti

Haiti’s earthquake generated a $9bn response – where did the money go?

Published in Monday January 14th, 2013 In In the media

Saturday marked the third anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti that claimed between 230,000 and 300,000 lives. The grim landmark has prompted much discussion about the struggles surrounding reconstruction and also some hope about what may come next.
Most observers agree that the international response to the quake was overwhelming. Haiti received an unprecedented amount of support: more than $9bn (£5.6bn) in public and private donations. Official bilateral and multilateral donors pledged $13bn and, according to the UN Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti, almost 50% of these pledges ($6bn) have been disbursed. Private donations are estimated at $3bn.

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Avoiding reality: Land, institutions and humanitarian action in post-earthquake Haiti

Published in Wednesday January 9th, 2013

The international aid response to the earthquake in Haiti is often spoken of as being unprecedented in its scale and in the nature of the challenges it faced. This paper in HPG’s “livelihoods and institutions” series suggests that most of the issues faced in Haiti were in fact common, if present to an unusual degree. This makes the aid response in Haiti a useful case study for understanding how aid agencies cope when emergency needs occur in the real, and highly imperfect, world.

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Haiti’s Long Road

Published in Wednesday January 2nd, 2013 In Opinion

On the eve of the third anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010, the country remains in a fragile state. Billions of dollars in aid and lofty promises to “build back better” have brought it only so far. A recent article by Deborah Sontag of The Times showed, in disheartening detail, the distance between hope and reality.

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Rebuilding in Haiti Lags After Billions in Post-Quake Aid

Published in Wednesday January 2nd, 2013 In In the media

There is a marked deflation of the lofty ambitions that followed the disaster, when the world aspired not only to repair Haiti but to remake it completely. The new pragmatism signals an acknowledgment that despite billions of dollars spent — and billions more allocated for Haiti but unspent — rebuilding has barely begun and 357,785 Haitians still languish in 496 tent camps.

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Haiti quake survivors face eviction from camps says Oxfam

Published in Wednesday December 12th, 2012 In In the media

Tens of thousands of homeless earthquake survivors living in camps sprawled across the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince are at risk of eviction, Oxfam said on Monday. Some 78,000 living in camps on property owned by schools and churches and on private land face eviction by landowners and local authorities wanting to reclaim their land. “Thousands of people are in a very precarious situation and at risk of finding themselves on the street with nowhere to go. This government should ensure the security and protection of displaced people against violence, intimidation and unlawful threats to evict families,” Andrew Pugh, Oxfam’s country director in Haiti, said in a statement.

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Tent camp evictions on the rise in Haiti

Published in Wednesday November 14th, 2012 In In the media

After the 2010 earthquake, 1.5 million Haitians were forced to live in makeshift tents. Almost three years later, these displaced Haitians are facing a new threat – eviction by alleged landowners and government officials. More than 360,000 people still live in tent camps, according to estimates by the Internal Organization for Migration (IOM). But Haitians who say they own the land these tent camps sit on argue that they should get their land back. And in many cases, the local government authorities are supporting the landowners’ cause. Click here to watch the video.

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UN relief agency estimates 1.8 million Haitians have been affected by Hurricane Sandy

Published in Monday November 5th, 2012 In In the media

November 2nd, 2012 Some 1.8 million Haitians have been affected by Hurricane Sandy, the United Nations relief agency said today after its first assessment of the situation in the region, adding that food security remains an urgent concern in the Caribbean nation. Initial data collected by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs […]

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Clinton hails Haitian post-quake reconstruction

Published in Tuesday October 23rd, 2012 In In the media

October 23, 2012 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday hailed Haitian reconstruction since the massive 2010 earthquake, drawing parallels between the “American dream” and the “Haitian dream.” Clinton was speaking at the formal opening of an industrial zone meant to help boost economic development and create 37,000 jobs in the impoverished country still […]

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Storm Adds to Misery in Haiti’s Homeless Camps

Published in Monday August 27th, 2012 In In the media

August 25, 2012 Tropical Storm Isaac whirled across Haiti on Saturday, delivering strong winds and rain that caused flooding, mudslides and at least a few deaths, according to preliminary reports, but not the kind of widespread destruction feared in the earthquake-battered nation. Radio news reports and social media users reported streets flooding in the capital, Port-au-Prince; […]

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In wake of Tropical Storm Isaac, UN steps up Haiti humanitarian response

Published in Monday August 27th, 2012 In In the media

(Português) Humanitarian efforts are underway in Haiti following the torrential rains and blustery winds that battered the country over the weekend as Tropical Storm Isaac swept across the nation, the United Nations said today. Tropical Storm Isaac raised considerable concern early last week as it looked set to turn into a hurricane before barrelling down upon the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, shared by both Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

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