The international community must help Haiti after the earthquake

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File photo of what remains of a hospital in the town of Manich, Haiti, after the August 14 earthquake. Jose Iglesias [email protected]

I recently traveled to Haiti. Since my return, not a day has gone by that I do not think of the women, children, and men I met suffering from the effects of last month’s earthquake.

The United Nations has appealed for $187.3 million to help the 500,000 most affected by the earthquake. But so far, we have received less than 30% of the amount required to respond.

What I fear is that the international community has already acted and will soon forget the tragedy. This would be a huge mistake.

Hours walk to get help

In Haiti, I met Marie-Rose, a mother of four, who lost her two-month-old baby in the earthquake. She lives in a small town called Manish in South County – a place that was hard hit by the earthquake. As she mourns her tragic loss, Mary Rose overcomes obstacles every minute of every day to take care of her three other children. And every day she walks for hours to reach the aid distribution centre.

Her story is just one of many. Nearly half of Manish’s population was affected by the earthquake. Everyone I spoke to lost someone they knew. The school, the health center and the only church in the town have been flattened. Thousands of people have lost their homes and are now sleeping in the open without water or food. The earthquake caused deep fissures in the crop fields, destroying the only source of food and livelihoods for many people.

Manish and remote mountainous areas are difficult to reach due to insecurity and damaged roads. However, humanitarian workers were able to bring in aid, including shelter materials, food and medical supplies. Like Mary Rose, they overcame obstacles.

It is the responsibility of the international community to support people like Mary Rose as they rebuild their lives. It is also in the interest of every nation on the planet.

devastating effect

This earthquake was perhaps less catastrophic than in 2010, which left more than 220,000 dead and 1.5 million injured. However, its impact was devastating.

More than 2,200 people were killed, more than 12,000 people were injured, and more than 130,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Tropical Depression Grace, which followed the August 17 earthquake, made things a lot worse.

All this could not have come at a more difficult time. Haiti continues to suffer from the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on 7 July and an escalation of gang violence that has affected 1.5 million people and displaced 19,000 since June.

The combined effects of these disasters, pre-existing needs, ongoing political crisis, socio-economic challenges, and increased violence all exacerbate an already complex humanitarian scenario.

Things look bleak. But this is precisely the time to look to the future of Haiti.

building resilience

Today we have a real opportunity to help Haiti and its people build lives that are more resilient to future shocks. This means building awareness of risks and limiting reconstruction efforts.

This will take time, but the effort is well worth it.

In the short term, I urge every nation that can support Haiti’s humanitarian efforts.

The government and people of Haiti have shown tremendous leadership and determination. The government played a key role in coordinating efforts on the ground and making them as effective as possible. I would also like to commend the work of the organizations and communities that were first responders to the earthquake that struck the southern peninsula of Haiti. They are heroes.

They continue to fight to rebuild Haiti.

The United Nations will continue to stand with Haiti and its people as they emerge from this tragedy. I urge everyone to do the same.

You can contribute to the appeal by visiting the website: isisrelief.un.org/haiti-earthquake-appeal

Ramesh Rajasingham is the Acting Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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