By Ashlee Cox | Program Fellow
Shortly before 5pm on January 12th, 2010, Haiti experienced a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake that would alter the country’s infrastructure for years to come. The quake tore through the southwestern area of the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince, leaving over 230,000 people dead and 1.5 million survivors displaced. Buildings collapsed, including hospitals and government buildings, people were trapped under concrete blocks, and houses were left in shambles. The devastation forced hundreds of thousands to move into cramped quarters or sleep in the street. The aftermath was deemed a horrific event.
Six and a half years later, Haiti is not where it used to be but there’s still significant improvements to make. The GlobalGiving Relief Fund for Haiti Earthquake served as a vital resource for providing funds to projects on the ground in an immediate response to the aftermath. Close to 15,000 of you have raised almost $1 million to support GlobalGiving partner organizations working in Haiti.Partners In Health, Lambi Fund of Haiti, and International Medical Corps are the remaining organizations committed to long-term improvements in Haiti and with your generous donations, they have been able to make great strides!
Following the earthquake, Partners In Health quickly mobilized staff, doctors, and medical personnel to provide immediate emergency care to disaster victims. Over six years later, they continue to display their commitment to strengthening the healthcare infrastructure in Haiti. They have successfully established four clinics in Port-au-Prince and 12 clinics in the rural areas. Haiti is reported to have the highest rates of TB in the Western Hemisphere. Right now PIH’s project, Partners In Health Haiti Earthquake Recovery, is taking swift measures to lowering the Tuberculosis rates (TB) by providing treatment and education to patients.
Since May, Lambi Fund of Haiti has partnered with a number of organizations to develop a long-term strategy to construct water cisterns for rural areas. Specifically, Plan Consult, a firm of engineers who specializes in cistern construction. This partnership was established over the years and it allows for local people to have an active participation in the collection of material, mixing mortar, and building the walls of the cisterns. Prior to the cistern project, water was a very limited resource in rural areas of northwest Haiti. Some Haitians would walk miles a day to retrieve water. Now, young children are able to attend school throughout the day because they no longer have to spend hours fetching water.
Lastly, International Medical Corps has been working in Haiti since the occurrence of the 2010 earthquake. Initially, they responded to emergency medical needs and later provided assistance to the cholera outbreak. Today, they shifting their focus to the Zika virus outbreak. There have been five Zika outbreaks since early 2016. IMC’s project, Provide medical care to Haiti, supplied 30 well-trained nurses to educate pregnant women to increase Zika awareness and prevention during prenatal visits, with a special focus on women in their first trimester.
Here at GlobalGiving, we can’t thank you enough! Your donations have made a tremendous impact on the lives of Haitian earthquake survivors. However, the work isn’t done yet. We urge you to continue supporting the GlobalGiving Relief Fund for Haiti Earthquake and these local projects, so they can continue providing vital resources to help make Haiti a prosperous country. Again, thank you for your help!
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When a disaster strikes, recovery efforts led by people who live and work in affected communities are often overlooked and underfunded. GlobalGiving is changing this reality. Since 2004, we've been shifting decision-making power to crises-affected communities through trust-based grantmaking and support.
We make it easy, quick, and safe to support people on the ground who understand needs in their communities better than anyone else.
They were there long before the news cameras arrived, and they’ll be there long after the cameras leave. They know how to make their communities more resilient to future disasters, and they’re already hard at work. GlobalGiving puts donations and grants directly into their hands. Because the status quo—which gives the vast majority of funding to a few large organizations—doesn’t make sense.
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