HAS HAITI REALLY RECOVERED?
Ten years later, Haiti still hasn’t recovered from this disaster, despite billions of dollars being spent in the country. Only 5% of the 675 million cu. ft. (19 million cu m) of rubble in Port-au-Prince has been removed from the streets, at least 1 million Haitians still live in tents and a preventable cholera epidemic has claimed more than 2,500 lives. It took a year after the quake just to get real debris removal started and seven years to reopen Haiti’s major hospital. Haiti continues to face multiple crises such as malnutrition, water-borne disease epidemics and high vulnerability to natural disasters. In recent months, citizens have been demanding more accountability from their leaders, not only for the earthquake aid but also for billions of dollars provided to Haiti through the program, PetroCaribe. Haitians have accused their President Jovenel Moïse of embezzling some of the PetroCaribe funds. In the fall of 2019, these demonstrations turned violent, leaving 50 people dead and more than 100 injured. Political instability in 2019 continued to inhibit the Haitian government’s ability to meet the basic needs of its people, resolve long-standing human rights problems, and address humanitarian crises. Over 140,000 households still need shelter more than three years after Hurricane Matthew in 2016. As of January 2019, 25,000 people lived in displacement camps formed after the 2010 earthquake. Authorities have not provided assistance to resettle them or return them to their places of origin. The country’s most vulnerable communities continue to face environmental risks and 2.6 million Haitians live with food insecurity. Illiteracy is also a major problem in Haiti. According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), approximately one- half of all Haitians 15 years and older are illiterate. The Dominican Republic’s feud with Haiti still continues today after, 70,000 to 80,000 Haitians were kicked out of the DR in 2018. This included Haitian immigrants and their Dominican born children. Before the earthquake, Haiti was estimated to have 380,000 orphaned children. That number today is even higher.
