Haiti struggles to recover by Garry PAMPHILE

Haiti Struggles to Recover

On January 12th, 2010 Haiti was shaken by a 7.3 degree earthquake. The earthquake caused hundreds of thousands deaths and pushed at least a few millions into homeless. This earthquake has been not only felt by the people living in Haiti, but also was felt by also those other Haitians living abroad. In the aftermath of the tragedy, many organizations and different health care professionals mobilized to go to Haiti to help with different aspects of the catastrophe. Two years after the earthquake, the situation has not changed greatly, as Haiti still struggles to recover.

            The assistance that was provided was poorly managed. After the earthquake this Island nation received donations from different countries in the world but the help did not reach those for whom it was intended. Right after the earthquake, the US allocated hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and sent thousands troops to help and secure the country. However, the Associated Press noted “Three hundred and seventy nine million dollars in initial US money promised for Haiti, most was not really money going directly, or in some cases even indirectly, to Haiti” ( Bill Quigley 3). After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, many agencies in Haiti keep growing and receiving

a lot money from  the donator countries, but the funds were spent on  unclear and indefinite needs such as psychological and social support yet no one know where the money has been spent.

In addition to that, hundred million dollars that was given by the donated countries for the humanitarian funds, construction, water, food, safety of the environment, emergency medical services and education was spent by the corrupt government officials of Haiti and no one is charging corruption. As a result, people are still hungry, millions are still homeless, people are still living in camps, and various diseases like cholera were introduced in the country where the government does not have a rapid response to stop the epidemic.

Two years after the earthquake Haiti’s reconstructions rises slowly.  Haiti had some of the worst buildings in the entire Caribbean where the houses did not respect the constructions’ standards for the appropriate Infrastructure. Now the government does not have plan to build earthquake-resistant housing while thousands of Haitians are still living in shelters such as tents, damaged homes. The government does not have either any ability to respond to coordinate help received for the reconstruction. Donovan Webster reported “The Haitian government and donor countries have failed to come up with a coordinated strategy to coordinate help”. (Donovan Webster 3) People who lost their houses are still living in horrible conditions, and are exposed to various diseases. It is true that the major construction project has begun, significant progress has been made but many important steps have to be done to remove tons of debris from destroyed buildings, and return Haitian peoples’ dignity.

Montains in Gressier

            Haiti has major environmental problems. The earthquake let considerable destruction damaged the country, affected negatively the environment, and have important effects on the population. The volume of demolition waste potentially generated by recovery and reconstruction operations. Likewise has not yet technically be estimated, caused massive population displacements, and caused a lack of trees. All debris are also not being removed yet in all areas in the country. As a result, Haiti has potential environmental, agricultural, and natural resources that can tremendously rebound and improve its economic situation. Little progress has been noted so far but more work to repair the country.

Cholera Treatment Center

Haiti is facing health concerns and sanitation services after the second years of the earthquake. After the earthquake, millions of people in Haiti are facing a lack of water, and have limited access to sanitation coverage. Therefore, the population was faced to an epidemic of cholera, a consequence of the unclean water and rains which beat down on the island and killed hundreds thousands of people. Thousands people died from this epidemic, hundreds are still in critical condition and showing symptoms of cholera. Journalist Donna Leinwand Leger believed “The Haiti cholera outbreak is one of the largest cholera epidemics in modern history to affect a single country" (Leger 18). Unfortunately there are just not enough public health officials or laboratories to handle the spread of this disease, but the need of the health response is even more pressing. Few efforts have been made to reduce the number of cases which would limit the impact of the disease. However, basic services like water, sanitation services and electricity are almost nonexistent.

                Haiti has struggled with educational problems as well. Two years after the devastating earthquake, thousands of Haitians students don’t have access to quality education, seated in temporary camps without an adequate of materials school’s stock. Many schools were affected by the earthquake, which also destroyed the Ministry of Education building, crippling  the government’s ability to respond to the ensuing education crisis. As indicated by USA Today reporter William Wheeler, “Haiti's post-earthquake tent cities house many willing students who lack accessible education”. (William Wheeler 18). To ensure access to education, and support the students, the Haitian government received a several millions of dollars grant to improve the quality of education, expand training opportunities, and to strengthen implementation capacity of the Education Ministry. The Inter-American Development Bank approved “Fifty million dollars in grant to support the education reform Haiti to expand access to free, quality education for all Haitian children” (IDB Nov.24). Definitely the absence of a strong State, capable of giving a boost and to coordinate the help between the universities and school systems’ throughout the country is still facing huge challenges after the earthquake.

Haiti is now an uncertain country. Haiti's future is remaining uncertain due to detrimental environmental effects caused by the natural disaster. This earthquake left hundreds of thousands of people are living in densely packed camps, dependent on food rations, and put the population in high health risks. This situation greatly reduced people economic possibilities. Therefore the situation has never changed in Haiti, and the population thinks it is time to make new directions to change the situation. Journalist Damien Cave advanced that “Only a small part of it [Funds] was reaching increasingly desperate Haitians without food, water or shelter” (Cave 18).

                  Since the earthquake Haiti has encountered little recovery progress in the last two years, but the country is still unable to move forward on its own agenda. Millions of cubic feet of quake debris have been removed from Port-au-Prince and other areas. More people have access now to clean water, education and food in the capital and other parts and of the country. However, it is also true that Haiti’s government is still unable to react effectively. The reality is due to the institutions’ weakness to respond fully to new challenges to help effectively and the large number of newly homeless and injured people. Nicolas Moyer, spokesman for the Humanitarian Coalition declared “Haiti needs long-term solutions” (Payton 5). Consequently, Haiti needs an Emergency disaster fund to ensure that immediate financial support, to make preparations in the case of imminent disaster, or imminent danger occurs and be able to respond quickly and efficiently during emergencies.

                  Haiti needs a National Aid coordination director to see that the areas that are the most in need are prioritized than other areas, and react quickly. Haiti needs long term approaches for its rehabilitation so that a wide range of partners could help to fight against poverty, and making plan for the next 20 years. To establish preventive measures for such disasters like regional electrical districts rather than one larger grid. This country needs also disaster resistant building plans to be prepared for all natural disaster, not just hurricanes and flooding. Unfortunately, Haiti has to build back stronger, creating new safer buildings, reinforcing the construction and remove people are still living in the tents. Few important progresses have been made in response to the earthquake but more engagements to the Haitian people in the ground need to be felt.

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Worked cited

1- Quigley Bill, Seven places where The Earthquake Money did and did not go, Associated Press, January 3rd, 2012.Web

2- Cave Damien, and Thompson Ginger, Officials Strain to Distribute Aid to Haiti as Violence

Rises, the New York Time, January 16, 2010.

3- Leger Donna L., Cholera cripples Haiti, two years after quake, USA TODAY.Jan.6, 2011.

4- Webster Donovan, Where did the money go? Global Post Haiti, January12, 2012).

5- Wheeler William, Haiti and Education post Disaster, USA Today, April 18, 2011.

6- Inter-American Development Bank, Helping Haiti recover from the earthquake, Nov.24, 2011

7- Payton Laura, Haiti faces mix of problems 2 years after quake, CBS News politic, jan5, 2012.