Haiti one year on: emergency then and now

12 January 2011

When Haitian's felt the awful tremors of an earthquake at 16.53 on 12 January last year, it was the beginning of a very challenging year.

An estimated three million people were affected by the quake. 230,000 people are thought to have died, around 300,000 were injured and more than one million made homeless.

The response from Y Care International's supporters was incredible and we were able to provide immediate emergency supplies including food, water, shelter, medicines and medical support.

Working with the YMCA in Haiti and the ACT Alliance, Y Care International helped get aid out quickly after the earthquake.

As we work through our YMCA partner in Port au Prince and the ACT Alliance – a specialist coalition of church-based organisations working with local partners in emergencies – we can be confident that we are getting aid directly where it is needed through local organisations with specialist local knowledge.

Inspiring stories
We have been really inspired by the incredible strength of the Haitian people we have worked with who have rebuilt homes, schools, hospitals and essential infrastructure.

The story of Reginald Francois and his wife Beatrice Jean Louis (see video link below), a young couple whose newly built house was destroyed in the earthquake, is typical. With the help of ACT Alliance Reginald was able to build a small wooden house which was completed just in time for Beatrice to have their first baby three days after moving in. Theirs is one of 2,000 houses to be built in this community.

We gave specific support for children and young people who are always highly vulnerable in emergencies when they are separated from their families or bereaved, if they or family members are injured, and when schools, homes and communities are destroyed and while living in the tented camps.

"After the quake, vast tent cities formed but quickly became overcrowded and levels of violence have escalated," explains Gemma Hayes, Y Care International's programme manager in Latin America and the Caribbean. "Young people are at risk of gang violence and women and girls face continued threats of sexual violence. But our partners work tirelessly to keep families' basic needs met and to help people move out of the camps."

YMCA Building in Haiti

We also supported the local YMCA to rebuild their building which was destroyed in the earthquake. Within eight months they had rebuilt a new, green, earthquake and hurricane-proof building which is now a vital community space for young people.

Humanitarian relief was also provided through three YMCA centres and educational support for young people out of school.

Reacting quickly to the next emergency: Hurricane Tomas
Then in October, Hurricane Tomas hit and floods threatened the lives of over a million people still living under canvas many of whom had to be relocated. Those who had returned to their homes after the earthquake had to leave again.

"I heard the sound of the river and realized what was happening. I knew it wasn't safe to be there so I ran away" said Sévére Jean Esaïe, 19. His house was damaged and he sheltered with his family under a piece of canvas in the streets.

A cholera outbreak was the next devastating blow. More than 3,400 people have died of cholera since the outbreak began.

A young patient with cholera rests in a clinic in Cite Soleil, a poor neighborhood of Port au Prince, Haiti, where cholera is epidemic almost one year after a devastating earthquake leveled the capital.

ACT/Paul Jeffrey

Again, our links with local partners meant we could react quickly with immediate effect. In camps in the Petion Ville area ACT was able to reach around 1000 families (5000 individuals) in the first days of the cholera outbreak. To avoid the spread of the epidemic into rural areas they also distributed aquatabs, chlorine, water buckets and oral rehydration solution sachets which saved thousands of people's lives.

Eight million water purification tablets were also distributed through local schools, and jerry cans, buckets with lids and soap given out. They also provided information for school children and communities on hand washing and basic hygiene practices and set up latrines to the most vulnerable schools. The installation of 150 temporary latrines has begun to improve sanitation at schools and help reduce the spread of cholera.

Prioritising young people's recovery
One year on Y Care International is continuing to support Haiti's recovery. Around 1.6 million are still displaced from their homes living in tent cities and the government and international donors are being highly criticised for making little progress.

But by supporting the YMCA and the ACT Alliance our work is continuing to show results. Providing psychosocial support is one of the many ways ACT have been helping young people to recover so they are able to make the best of their lives and help their country to recover. You can see wonderful pictures of young people learning the Brazilian dance capoeira.

"I like it because capoeira give me courage and strength," says eight-year old Rosedaline. "It helps me a lot."

Children practice capoeira in a camp for homeless families in the Belair section of Port-au-Prince. The program is designed to help children affected by the quake recover their emotional well-being.

ACT/Paul Jeffrey

As well as helping young people deal with their stress, the programme also offers a degree of protection in the camps, which have become increasingly violent, with gangs intimidating and recruiting young people and illegal trafficking of children a real danger.

Y Care International's focus is on supporting local partners to protect and support young people. "We help young people to get active, to get out of the camps, to build new homes, to go back to school or get jobs and to start rebuilding their lives and their country," says Gemma Hayes, Y Care International's Latin America and Caribbean programme manager.

"Young people are powerful actors in emergencies who can make amazing changes in their communities, and we are committed to supporting them."

The emergency isn't over. If you can you help us provide essential support to vulnerable children and young people in Haiti and other countries that we work in, please donate today.