Six months ago, the world seemed united with commitments to help Haiti recover. Now, half a year later, the rubble remains and misery blankets the refugee camps. July 12th marked the six-month anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti that killed as many as 300,000 people and left much of the country in ruins. Up to 1.8 million people are living in unlivable tent cities, with inadequate, if any, sanitation, no electricity, and little protection from the intense heat and the worsening rains. Rape, hunger and despair are constant threats to the people stranded in the camps.
I am not surprised that Haitians are angry. I join them in questioning where the billions of dollars donated in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake have gone. The Disaster Accountability Project found that of the 197 organizations that solicited money following the earthquake, only six had publicly available reports detailing their activities.
From the “international donor community,” more than $9 billion was pledged, but to date, only Brazil, Norway and Australia have paid in full. Most of the United States’ pledge of $1.15 billion is held up in Congress.
According to The Washington Post, only 2 percent of promised reconstruction aid has been delivered. The hurricane season is active in Haiti, and millions there are counting on all of us making good on our pledges.
If you want to support Haiti and her people please consider supporting the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund
and to stay up to date please visit Haiti Action
Credit Denis Moynihan and Amy Goodman, host of “Democracy Now!” who have been providing on going coverage on relief efforts in Haiti and were referenced for this article.
3 Comments
This is just really upsetting. I have to declare I did forget and that’s the saddest part. After a while we all forget. The news doesn’t even update us. This was one of the worst things that could have happened to a country and needs to be addressed continuously! thanks
Often in disasters like this the “lesser” things are overlooked. In Haiti’s case much of the media is over looking the issue of Restaveks, the child slaves of Haiti. It is thought that since many families are more than ever in a state of economic depravity that many will sell their kids to become Restaveks. Plus think of the multitude of kids orphaned who will become Restaveks. It was about 10% of the child population who were Restaveks before the earthquake, but I’m sure those numbers will rise post earthquake. More information can be found about Restaveks on the Pulitzer Center’s website: http://www.pulitzercenter.org/openitem.cfm?id=959
Let us not forget about the injustices happening to the children of Haiti
Watching the initial coverage of the tragedies in Haiti, what crossed my mind most was doctors, medical care, medicine, supplies. To save as many lives as possible, because we know the means exist; it just needed to make its way to Haiti, and fast.
But six months after desiring to rush Haiti life support, we now have to remember all-important phase two: preventing another disaster. When I saw Haiti’s Presidential Palace had collapsed, I could only imagine the destruction wreaked upon the Haitian people — that they’re left to cope with today. Haiti needs our support to be swiftly rebuilt, strong, so this incredible loss never happens again.
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