Haiti: 'two years after quake - 600,000 people still in tents'

Port au Prince Cathedral

Exactly two years ago today, Haiti was devastated by a terrible earthquake. While dozens of aid agencies are engaged in relief and reconstruction work, around 600,000 people are still living in very basic conditions in tents.

The Apostolic Nuncio, Mgr Bernardito Auza, told Fides that reconstruction in Haiti is particularly difficult and expensive because everything is imported, even the sand. There are also organisational problems. Mgr Auza said: "the UN Commission's mandate for the reconstruction of Haiti expired on October 21 last year, so there is
no longer a structure or an institution that guides or directs the efforts. Parliament has yet to address the issue, and the question is not in the legislative program. The issues of management on who manages the funds, and especially who gets the contracts, are very hot these days."

He said: "There are still about 600,000 people in tents. Even our major seminarians are in tents. Some public squares have been cleared, such as the Place Saint Pierre, in Petionville." The Church has dozens and dozens of reconstruction projects, he said, but there were numerous technical and legal issues to overcome. "For example" he said, " the reconstruction of two major national Seminaries is a top priority, but the project is not ready yet, because the process for the ownership of the land is not yet concluded. In the meantime, it was decided not to return to the places where they were before the earthquake."

Mgr Auza said the Catholic Church was focussing on supporting those most in need. A new Neonatal ward has just been opened at St Damian Catholic Children's Hospital, sponsored by Pope Benedict and a new university is being built in the north of the Country sponsored by the Dominican Republic.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, CAFOD launched the Haiti Earthquake Appeal which raised more than £5.3 million to respond to the emergency.

Immediately after the quake, they provided tents and shelters for thousands of people who had lost their homes. As people moved into camps, they built shower blocks and latrines and ensured safe water supplies to prevent the spread of disease. Today they are working with Catholic partners to help people rebuild their homes and communities.

A spokesman said: "Even before the earthquake, Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere - and the situation on the ground remains challenging. But we will stay in Haiti for the long term, working to respond to the ongoing needs of the Haitian people."

For more reports, blogs and films about CAFOD's work in Haiti see: www.cafod.org.uk/news/emergencies-updates/haiti-earthquake-two-years-on-2012-01-01

Source: Fides/CAFOD