Children in the neighbourhood of the warehouse. Cité Soleil is considered a red zone because of security concerns. CARE is distributing relief items to neighbouring communities around the warehouse. © Sabine Wilke / CARE
Four months after an earthquake struck Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince on January 12, survivors long for a sense of normalcy in their lives.
An estimated 1.3 million men, women and children are still displaced from their homes.
In its known history, Haiti has never experienced disaster on this scale – 222,517 people dead and another 310,928 injured.
CARE’s experience in Haiti spans decades, beginning in 1954. When the earthquake hit, we were already implementing successful development programs and immediately shifted our focus to respond to the emergency and help survivors.
CARE has reached close to 321,000 people to date with distributions of food, tarpaulins, tents, shelter kits, ropes, mattresses, blankets, kitchen sets, jerry cans, hygiene kits, kits for pregnant women and newborn babies, and is providing access to water through the installation of water bladders and use of water tankers.
In collaboration with the department of agriculture, CARE has begun cash-for-work activities in Léogâne and employed more than 600 people in April, more than half of whom are women. Activities include clearing debris from canals and roads, road repair, soil conservation and planting of trees to prevent soil erosion.
CARE will also train 800 parents in Pétionville, Léogâne and Carrefour in psychosocial support for children who have experienced trauma. Once trained, they will form “parent clubs” and provide support on a voluntary basis. We will also distribute 8,000 recreation kits to encourage play activities to help children return to a sense of childhood.
