By Jenny Lei Ravelo

Two years have passed but the nightmare of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010 lives on.

Haiti needs more funding to address the cholera situation in the country, which has already killed some 7,000 Haitians since 2010. While the number of cases has gone down in recent months, it is expected to go up around May, the start of the rainy season. The country also needs help to address the still huge problem of displacement. The International Organisation for Migration said about 520,000 people still live in makeshift tents across some 800 settlements in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Data from the Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti show that of the $4.5 billion cash pledges made by donors in 2010 and 2011, only 52.88 percent has been disbursed.

And while aid agencies such as the U.N. World Food Program and the American Red Cross continue to work in Haiti — feeding 1.1 million children daily and building homes in communities, respectively — more needs to be done.

Nicolas Moyer, spokesman for the Humanitarian Coalition — which comprises Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec, CARE Canada, Plan Canada and Save the Children — said Haiti needs long-term solutions. He said nongovernmental organisations are part of that solution, but “it’s also not up to them to, quote-unquote, fix the country.”

“It’s up to the Haitian government, which needs to show strong leadership with some comprehensive strategies for resettlement and an economy that can create jobs,” he said.

Jenny Lei Ravelo

As staff writer, Jenny covers international development breaking news for The Development Newswire, Global Development Briefing and other Devex publications, focusing in particular on development news in Asia and the Pacific.

Article courtesy DEVEX.com

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