It has been nine months since Haiti experienced the earthquake that devastated the country. Thanks to the efforts of charity groups and donations from people around the globe, the lives of many Haitians were saved. While Haiti’s plight is buried under ten months of new headlines and new crises, Haitians are still suffering, having only received a fraction of the money promised to rebuild their country. Most people are still sleeping under tarps or tin roofs, and many are not getting enough food.
A tropical storm in late September killed six people and destroyed thousands of the temporary shelters that relief groups helped to build, leaving many people with no place to sleep. The people of Haiti have been in survival mode for the last nine months and because of the lack of funds, very little progress has been made on the long-term reconstruction of the country. Reconstruction efforts, when they begin, will provide work, housing, and places of commerce to put Haitians back on their feet, but until they can receive the money they need, they are left to wait and survive on the charity of relief groups.
This lack of progress is demoralizing for Haitians and anyone that contributed to the relief efforts. The US government pledged to send 1.15 billion to Haiti for long-term reconstruction, but the money has been tied up in bureaucratic negotiations. Nations and relief groups around the globe have pledged a total of 8.75 billion to Haiti’s reconstruction efforts, but only 686 million has actually made it to Haiti.
Charity groups on the front lines of the Haitian relief effort are keeping the people of Haiti alive, thanks to the continued donations of generous people around the world. If you want to contribute to the groups that are in Haiti helping right now, visit one of their websites:
Official Haiti Relief Organization: http://haitirelieffund.org/haiti-relief/
CHF International: http://www.chfinternational.org/donate
[...] the year since the earthquake, Haiti has made progress. There’s no doubt the country has struggled, but there are signs of improvement. Rubble remains to be removed and housing is still a serious [...]