CARE chief executive, Geoffrey Dennis, in Haiti.
Two months after the earthquake caused massive devastation in Haiti CARE International UK’s very own Chief Executive reports back to supporters on his recent visit to the country.
Despite a career in aid and development Geoffrey, was shocked by the devastation he saw, saying: “It was far worse than I expected. I’ve worked in places such as war-torn Sarajevo and Somalia, but this was on a completely different scale. Building after building was crushed.”
Geoffrey was in Haiti to assess CARE’s aid operation and look at the challenges ahead as the aid effort changes from emergency response to re-building lives. More than 220,000 people died in the earthquake and 1.2 million have been left homeless.
“Despite all the problems, great progress has been made by the Haitian people and humanitarian community to assist the nearly three million people affected by the earthquake,” he said.
“To date, CARE has reached more than 278,000 people with food, safe drinking water, shelter, sanitation facilities, emergency supplies and reproductive health care for pregnant and nursing mothers. But more needs to be done. This requires a three- to five-year response and CARE is in it for the long haul.”
While in Haiti, Geoffrey experienced the effects of severe after-shocks and says some buildings are still collapsing, significantly delaying reconstruction.
“Shelter and sanitation are the biggest challenges as the rainy season approaches a month earlier than usual,“ said Geoffrey. “It is a real race to try to get people waterproof before the rains start in earnest, and after that, the hurricane season lasts from June to November. The Government is very weak in Haiti and big decisions are needed on land allocation to move the situation forward.
“I visited a camp at the bottom of a hill, and at the top of the hill there is a rubbish dump and an area people use as a toilet. When the rains come there will be serious problems. All these problems underline the need for a three- to five-year response, and CARE will be in it for the long haul, re-building people’s lives so they are in a stronger position than before the earthquake.”
