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Haiti - Two years on

Haiti - Two years on

Haiti Earthquake - IR Response



Summary of our work

Islamic Relief began working in Haiti with a focus on protecting lives. We set up the first organised camp for displaced people in Port-au-Prince and provided residents with shelter, food, water and household and hygiene items to assist them in the aftermath. 

Our focus soon shifted to recovery and securing stability, so we built toilets, showers and drainage systems in the three camps that we were running. We also began a rubble clearance project to offer employment to vulnerable people and provided temporary school shelters for over 9,000 children so they could resume their studies.

As we began to focus on long-term development and empowerment, we built transitional shelters for displaced people, many of whom had left camps and were returning to their land. Islamic Relief handed over work in these camps to committees organised by camp residents and reinforced our efforts in the development field.

We constructed a school and repaired three more, allowing children to resume their education away from powerful monsoons and the blistering heat. We also offered training in carpentry, tailoring and computing to equip young unemployed people with the skills they need to secure jobs and continue to rebuild their lives.

Collaboration was an important aspect of our work in Haiti. During the last two years we have worked with a number of agencies and local authorities and ministries to ensure that our intervention was aligned with the strategy set out by the government. We regularly attended United Nations cluster meetings in order to avoid overlapping work and to reach as many vulnerable people as possible.



Resident selling vegetables in Parc Sainte Claire camp

23 April 2010

Flood danger

Haiti experiences frequent floods and has a history of extreme weather. Two years ago, hurricanes and tropical storms struck Haiti, killing hundreds of people.

This year the rainy season has arrived early, with a disastrous effect on the displaced earthquake survivors. Flooding has swept away temporary shelters, leaving hundreds of Haitians homeless once again.

“When rain comes into our tent, we have to try to sleep whilst standing up,” said Françoise Luc, a displaced earthquake survivor. The floodwaters also carry the threat of waterborne diseases, raising fears of an epidemic triggered by cramped living conditions.

A number of children have returned to school since they reopened earlier this month. However, with 5,000 schools damaged or destroyed in the earthquake, many children are still missing out. The Haitian Minister of Education is urging aid agencies to run education programmes in the worst-affected areas.

Hygiene and security

Three months on from the earthquake, we are completed the construction of drains, washing areas and showers in two of our camps and are finalising plans to improve facilities in Accra Nord camp.

Islamic Relief is improving facilities in Yasin Community Camp by providing residents with toilets, washing areas and showers, as well as a footbridge, drainage system and gravel to prevent flooding and the outbreak of waterborne diseases. As part of efforts to improve security for the residents, we are setting up a lighting system in the camp to help reduce the risk of assault.

Current and future projects

Islamic Relief has just launched a rubble clearance programme, which will create jobs for over 100 earthquake survivors and assist the reconstruction effort.

Plans are being finalising for Islamic Relief to construct three schools large enough to accommodate about 5,500 students whose schools were forced to shut as a result of the earthquake. This project will also generate jobs for 60 teachers.

To donate to Islamic Relief’s Haiti appeal, please click here.



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