Relief and Recovery for Haiti Disaster Survivors

A year-and-a-half has passed since the devastating earthquake shook Haiti, already the most fragile country in the Western hemisphere.

With the donation you sent last year, Mercy Corps was able to deploy a team of disaster professionals within days after the disaster struck and provide critical aid to survivors. Today, Mercy Corps’ strategy in Haiti addresses two simultaneous realities on the ground: the need to continue to assist those still living in camps and the need to help Haitians begin the longer term work of building a stronger, more self-sufficient country.

After the earthquake, an estimated 140,000 people fled Port-au-Prince to take shelter in rural, agricultural areas. The new arrivals strained the resources of local families. That’s why Mercy Corps has focused its efforts on the Central Plateau and Lower Artibonite Valley, where development can be a magnet for new investment and long-term recovery.

Thanks to your generosity, Mercy Corps’ programs in Haiti have improved the lives of more than 830,000 people over the last year.

 Your Donation Helped Mercy Corps:

• Support 172,000 people with temporary employment, including improving roads and helping mitigate rainy season flooding by cleaning drainage canals and building levees.
• Work with women heads of households to resume or take up new income-generating activities.
• Organize market fairs and provide vouchers people can use to purchase the goods they need–shelter materials, tools and water–from local vendors, infusing cash into the local economy. These vouchers improved the living conditions of 7,000 people.
• Work with small-scale farmers to improve yields, reduce post-harvest losses and increase incomes. 
• Customize and implement our signature “Comfort for Kids” program that trains educators and caregivers to understand and respond to the emotional and physical needs of children affected by the earthquake.  Our program reached 61,400 kids. 
• Develop an innovative partnership to launch the country’s first mobile money solution, turning cell phones into “mobile wallets” that offer a safe and convenient way for the poor to access financial services. 

Great challenges lie ahead to build a functioning economy in Haiti that offers opportunity to all. We’re enthusiastic about the innovative projects proposed by our Haiti team and others. And we’ve seen the entrepreneurial spirit of the Haitian people. They are determined to seize the work opportunities that will enable them to take care of their families. We believe it is up to us, along with the Haitian government and our colleague organizations, to help them succeed.

Thank you, again, for your generous support. 

Links:

• Mercy Corps Haiti Blog