Moïse lost his leg in 2010, when Haiti was struck by a powerful earthquake. With support from Humanity & Inclusion donors, he received an artificial limb and the chance to reclaim his childhood.

Moïse was just 4 when a powerful, 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. He was buried beneath rubble, emerging with such grave injuries that doctors had to amputate his left leg a week later.

Without crutches, crawling was his only way to move around. Humanity & Inclusion’s team met Moïse, and fit him with a custom-made prosthetic. Rehabilitation professionals helped Moïse regain strength, balance, and eventually the ability to walk again through regular physical therapy sessions.

Moïse was one of 90,000 Haitians who received rehabilitation support from Humanity & Inclusion (then Handicap International) following the devastating earthquake. Humanity & Inclusion continues to work along Haitians toward long-term recovery plans and future disaster preparedness. Read more about Humanity & Inclusion's work in response to the Haiti earthquake.

Moïse, who will turn 15 in March, lives with his parents and younger brother. Eleven years after the earthquake, he still stays in touch with Humanity & Inclusion staff for continued rehabilitation support. His ongoing care includes new prosthetics as he grows, as well as regular adjustments. Staff also connect him to medical care in case he needs revision surgery.

Moïse loves playing soccer, going to school, and participating in extracurricular activities including basket-weaving and even classical dance.

Header Image: A teenage boy named Moïse holds a soccer ball with the HI logo on it. Two younger boys stand on either side of him. Moïse lost his leg in the Haiti earthquake and wears an artificial limb. Copyright: Davide Preti/HI

Inline Image Left: Moïse, age 4, practices walking with his new prosthetic leg after the Haiti earthquake. Copyright: William Daniels/HI

Inline Image Right: Moïse, now a teenager, smiles and pumps his fist. He's wearing an artificial limb. Copyright: Davide Preti/HI

After the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, Humanity & Inclusion (known then as Handicap International) deployed one of the largest emergency response operations in its history. Eleven years later, its work with the most vulnerable people continues.

Haiti was devastated by the earthquake that killed more than 230,000 people and injured more than 300,000. "In 2010, when the earthquake struck Haiti, there was almost no rehabilitation service in the country," explains Sylvia Sommella, Humanity & Inclusion's director in Haiti.

Humanity & Inclusion mobilized hundreds of people and with record levels of donor support deployed unprecedented means to help those affected. In the earthquake’s wake, Humanity & Inclusion:

• provided rehabilitation care to 90,000 people;
• equipped more than 1,400 people with assistive devices;
• distributed more than 5,000 wheelchairs, crutches and walkers;
• extended psychosocial support to more than 25,000 people;
• built more than 1,000 temporary homes;
• and delivered more than 20,000 tons of humanitarian aid.

Building capacity in Haiti

Today, Humanity & Inclusion continues to help the Haitian population in executing a long-term disaster response.

"Thanks to the support of Humanity & Inclusion, which launched the first training of rehabilitation technicians following the earthquake, it is now possible to benefit from rehabilitation sessions in different infrastructures," Sommella explains. "Humanity & Inclusion continues to support health structures, strives to make rehabilitation centers accessible to all, and ensures qualified medical staff."

In the first six years following the disaster, Humanity & Inclusion trained 86 new medical experts, who are still working Haiti today. This training was supported by USAID. Training is ongoing for rehabilitation technicians and physical therapists continue to develop their skills through virtual coaching.

Preparing for future disasters

Humanity & Inclusion has made it a priority to work with people living in remote areas, so they can be prepared and protected should disaster strike again. That work includes providing partner organizations with shipping and storage services to ensure humanitarian supplies are available to the most vulnerable families for future natural disasters and emergencies.

In addition to disaster preparedness, Humanity & Inclusion is also working alongside Haitians to create economic and employment opportunities and fight Covid-19.

Image: A woman works on an artificial leg in 2017 at a rehabilitation center supported by Humanity & Inclusion. Copyright: Nadia Todres/HI

Introduction

When Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic in March 2020, Humanity & Inclusion mobilized its teams to help the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis. Providing emergency response in almost all the countries where Humanity & Inclusion works has been a major challenge, especially since its emergency teams are normally able to focus their efforts on a handful of countries or regions. Humanity & Inclusion therefore provided emergency response and adapted its routine projects to help all those in need.

As of December 2020, more than 65 million people worldwide have been infected with Covid-19 and more than 1.5 million people have died.

While the epidemic has hit Western countries extremely hard, it is also affecting many countries in Asia, the Middle East, South and Central America and Africa, which are already affected by violent conflicts, political and socio-economic crises, frequent natural disasters, and significant climate change. Thousands of people need assistance.

In response to the Covid-19 crisis, Humanity & Inclusion has:

• Provided response in 46 of the 50 countries where it works;
• Implemented more than 160 projects in aid of people affected by the Covid-19 crisis;
• Given assistance to more than 2 million people between March and August 2020 alone;
• Provided more than 1.6 million people with information on Covid-19 prevention measures;
• Distributed more than 138,000 hygiene kits containing hand sanitizer, soaps, and other items;
• Distributed more than 800,000 masks;
• Provided food to more than 6,800 vulnerable families;
• Organized thousands of psychosocial support sessions for people who feel insecure or traumatized as a result of the crisis;
• Conducted thousands of tele-rehabilitation sessions in countries where a strict lockdown has been imposed to continue providing its routine services to people in need.

Beyond its impact on health, Covid-19 has had a considerable effect on children’s education. According to a Unesco report, some 1.6 billion children and teenagers have been deprived of school education in 190 countries as a result of the pandemic. The situation is even more worrying for children with disabilities, who find it harder to access education.

This pandemic has also considerably increased poverty and food insecurity. People in 25 countries are expected to face devastating levels of hunger in the coming months due to the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of acute food insecure people could increase from 149 million before the pandemic to 270 million.

Identifying the needs of the most vulnerable people

Humanity & Inclusion's teams and volunteers trained by the organization have identified the needs of the most vulnerable people including older people, single women with children, people with disabilities, migrant populations, and refugees. Those with the greatest needs are receiving direct assistance such as awareness sessions, distribution of hygiene kits, food assistance, cash transfers, and psychosocial support, or referrals to an organization that can offer them appropriate care, including healthcare for those infected with Covid-19.

Leading awareness-raising sessions

More than 1.6 million people affected by the pandemic have taken part in awareness sessions in villages and communities in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America and the Caribbean, and at home. Humanity & Inclusion has provided people with information on Covid-19, including the risk of transmission and prevention measures, through group meetings in villages, refugee camps, and the like; one-on-one sessions; and awareness campaigns based on leaflets, posters, and other materials. The organization has also aired programs on radio and TV. For example, in Nepal, Humanity & Inclusion has produced videos with subtitles and in sign language adapted to people with hearing difficulties, in partnership with the World Health Organization, which have been aired on Nepalese television.

Offering psychosocial support

Humanity & Inclusion has provided psychosocial support to people affected by the pandemic and the trauma it has caused, from economic hardships to loss of family and friends. More than 225,000 people received psychosocial support, including by telephone, from Humanity & Inclusion. The organization has also provided support to medical staff who are on the front line.

Distributing hygiene items, food, and cash

Humanity & Inclusion has distributed more than 138,000 hygiene kits composed of hand sanitizer, soaps, cleaning supplies, and the like. More than 800,000 masks have also been provided to people who need them.

In many countries, the food supply chain has been disrupted by border closures and lockdown measures. In Bolivia, especially, it is more complicated to access food in cities. Price inflation has soared and many people, who have lost their jobs, have found it more difficult to access food. Humanity & Inclusion has provided food assistance to more than 6,800 families by distributing goods, cash transfers, non-perishable foods, fresh produce from partner organizations, and so on.

Humanity & Inclusion has also identified people living in situations of extreme vulnerability, including refugees and families living in extreme poverty, and provided them with cash transfers to access basic services and meet their basic needs such as paying rent, buying food, and going to the doctor. So far, 7,565 families have received cash transfers from Humanity & Inclusion.

Transporting humanitarian supplies

The measures put in place to combat the spread of Covid-19 have entrenched humanitarian crises and made it harder to implement humanitarian aid projects. Faced with the difficulties of transporting humanitarian supplies and mobility issues caused by lockdowns, quarantines and other restrictions, Humanity & Inclusion, through its logistics department, has shifted the focus of its operations in Central African Republic, Bangladesh and Mali. News projects were also implemented in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti for the transport and shared storage of health and humanitarian equipment, the repair of airport runways and roads to isolated health centers, and the like.

Humanity & Inclusion has also mobilized three experts from the Réseau Logistique Humanitaire (RLH) to coordinate airlifts to 12 countries. More than 141,000 cubic feet of emergency supplies and 1,200 humanitarian and medical staff were transported as part of this operation.

Conducting tele-rehabilitation sessions

Humanity & Inclusion continued providing rehabilitation care to patients who need it by adapting its working methods to the Covid-19 pandemic. Where the situation allowed, physical therapists continued to provide care in rehabilitation centers in compliance with safety rules such as social distancing and mask-wearing.

In countries where lockdowns were imposed, online tele-rehabilitation sessions have enabled thousands of patients to continue doing their physical therapy exercises at home by watching videos or receiving instructions via telephone, WhatsApp, and other technology. Humanity & Inclusion has organized thousands of tele-rehabilitation sessions in Nepal, for example, and developed virtual rehabilitation apps in Rwanda and Vietnam.

Promoting safety and inclusion

Humanity & Inclusion referred more than 470 people with the greatest protection needs, such as single women, isolated children, and refugees to specialized organizations able to offer them appropriate support.

Lastly, Humanity & Inclusion’s teams trained 201 staff from partner humanitarian organizations to include the most vulnerable people such as people with disabilities, isolated women, and older people in activities organized for victims of the Covid-19 crisis. The aim is to ensure that no one is left behind.

Help Humanity & Inclusion continue its global response to Covid-19:

Before January 12, 2010, the rehabilitation network was very underdeveloped in Haiti, with just a few professionals working in the sector. Change came with the earthquake which hit the country almost ten years ago.

Humanitarian workers arrived in massive numbers from all four corners of the world, assisting the 300,000 people injured in the earthquake. Given that other natural disasters were likely to occur in the future, Humanity & Inclusion (then Handicap International) started looking for a more sustainable solution. In 2012, Humanity & Inclusion’s team collaborated with the Don Bosco University in El Salvador to develop two training courses: one 2-year course for rehabilitation technicians and another 2.5-year course for orthopedic technicians.

Guetchly-Nise Alcime was one of the first students to sign up. “I was working as a nurse,” she recalls. “After the 12th of January, there were a lot of healthcare professionals, including nurses, in the country. But the rehabilitation sector was only just starting to develop. There were lots of job opportunities, so when I heard about the training course, I signed up.” Guetchly-Nise now works in a rehabilitation center in Port-au-Prince, providing support for amputees who have phantom pain.  

Mario Pasquet also took a rehabilitation technician training course run by Humanity & Inclusion. After obtaining his diploma, along with other former students, he created ASHATP—the Haitian Association of Physical Therapy Technicians. “We wanted to promote rehabilitation and our work with people with injuries and/or disabilities,” he explains. “We run awareness-raising campaigns against the stigmatization of disability and support rehabilitation technicians looking for jobs.”

“Thanks to Humanity & Inclusion, we now have enough rehabilitation technicians to work in the field,” adds Mario Pasquet, the President of ASHATP. “Rehabilitation in Haiti has taken a huge step forward. People have a better understanding of what physical therapy is and know that there are centers they can go to if they need. Port-au-Prince now has two universities where students can study physical therapy. There are also organizations like ASHATP which defend the sector’s interests at a national level to obtain greater recognition.”

For Humanity & Inclusion, it’s inspiring for us to see the progress made in Haiti's rehabilitation sector over the past decade. We encourage the Ministry of Health to continue with this work and to include rehabilitation in its healthcare policy systematically.

Haiti's 2010 earthquake

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, killing 230,000 people and injuring more than 300,000 others.

In the wake of the disaster, Humanity & Inclusion ramped up its operations, and mobilized about 600 people who deployed unprecedented levels of resources and assistance.

Humanity & Inclusion's impact, by the numbers:

• 90,000 people with rehabilitation care (click here to watch Christella's story!)
  
• 25,000 people with psychosocial support
• 1,400 people with orthopedic braces or artificial limbs (click here to watch a video of Moise!)
  
• 5,000+ wheelchairs, crutches and walking frames to people with disabilities
• 1,050 shelters for extremely vulnerable families
• 20,000+ tons of aid for people affected by the disaster

Today, we’re still helping Haitians with disabilities stand tall.
Donate to support our ongoing work.

NOTE: until Jan 2018, Humanity & Inclusion was known as Handicap International.

"My prosthesis is not really a problem for me, the opposite, in fact—I'm proud of it!, explains Maryse. “Without a prosthesis, my life would be much more complicated.” Maryse, 44, was injured in the earthquake that struck Haiti ten years ago, causing her to lose her right leg. Since then, she's held her head high! 

Maryse had her right leg amputated two weeks after the earthquake. When she developed a life-threatening infection, doctors were left with no other option. "I thought about my children and realized I couldn't let my amputation end it all. I haven't shed a single tear. I've always looked on the bright side, and I've had a lot of support."

Four months after the operation, Maryse was fitted with her first prosthesis and learned to walk again in a rehabilitation center supported by Humanity & Inclusion. Our team also helped Maryse open a small store. Now, she sells food and charcoal from a small stall outside her home.

For Maryse, life has turned out to be not so different since the earthquake: "It's true, I could run and move faster before, but apart from that, my life is pretty much the same. I manage. I still have my little shop. My children go to school. And best of all, I'm still alive. Of course, I have a disability. But today, my prosthesis has become a real leg—my leg."

When she meets other people with disabilities, she suggests they get fitted with an orthopedic device. Maryse can't imagine life without her prosthesis now. And that's what worries her: "I'm dependent on my prosthesis, and it wears out. It needs to be adjusted regularly. It's always on my mind."

Humanity & Inclusion continues to support Maryse, and in 2019, she was fitted with a new prosthesis.

Haiti's 2010 earthquake

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, killing 230,000 people and injuring more than 300,000 others.

In the wake of the disaster, Humanity & Inclusion ramped up its operations, and mobilized about 600 people who deployed unprecedented levels of resources and assistance.

Humanity & Inclusion's impact, by the numbers:

• 90,000 people with rehabilitation care (click here to watch Christella's story!)
• 25,000 people with psychosocial support
• 1,400 people with orthopedic braces or artificial limbs (click here to watch a video of Moise!)
• 5,000+ wheelchairs, crutches and walking frames to people with disabilities
• 1,050 shelters for extremely vulnerable families
• 20,000+ tons of aid for people affected by the disaster

Today, we’re still helping Haitians with disabilities stand tall.
Donate to support our ongoing work.

NOTE: until Jan 2018, Humanity & Inclusion was known as Handicap International.

Marie Orbenia Cadet lives with her four daughters in a small apartment in Port-au-Prince. "They're all lovely girls," she says. Christella, 20, is the youngest. When she was just ten-years-old, she was injured in a violent earthquake, and her leg had to be amputated.

Humanity & Inclusion’s rehabilitation team met Christella and provided her with essential physical therapy to help her regain strength in her limb. Later, our experts fit her with her first prosthesis and helped her learn to walk again. Her mother also received financial support from Humanity & Inclusion to open a small store, which enables her to support her family.

Christella doesn’t remember much about the day the earth shook in Haiti. She prefers to think about the future. She graduated from secondary school last summer and wants to continue her studies, but she's torn between medicine and business management.

After spending so much time in the hospital, she’s considering a career in medicine. "When I was in the hospital after the earthquake, a nurse gave me an injection, and it really hurt,” she says. “I don't think she was doing it right. If a doctor had been present, I would have been treated better. If I become a doctor, I can provide patients with better care."

The only affordable university is in a district where violence can flair suddenly up at the slightest provocation. "There's always noise and gunshots and I can't run fast with my prosthesis,” Christella continues. “So, I’m also thinking seriously about doing management studies. But if by chance I get a scholarship to study medicine abroad, I'll be there in a minute!"

Christella shares about how she feels to be a woman with a disability: "If someone asks me about my prosthesis, I explain what happened. There’s no problem. It's cool."

Humanity & Inclusion continues monitoring and supporting Christella, who has recently been fitted with a new prosthesis.

Watch Christella standing tall!

Haiti's 2010 earthquake

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, killing 230,000 people and injuring more than 300,000 others.

In the wake of the disaster, Humanity & Inclusion ramped up its operations, and mobilized about 600 people who deployed unprecedented levels of resources and assistance.

Humanity & Inclusion's impact, by the numbers:

• 90,000 people with rehabilitation care
  
• 25,000 people with psychosocial support
• 1,400 people with orthopedic braces or artificial limbs (click here to watch a video of Moise!)
  
• 5,000+ wheelchairs, crutches and walking frames to people with disabilities
• 1,050 shelters for extremely vulnerable families
• 20,000+ tons of aid for people affected by the disaster

Today, we’re still helping Haitians with disabilities stand tall.
Donate to support our ongoing work.

NOTE: until Jan 2018, Humanity & Inclusion was known as Handicap International.

Moïse was four years old when he lost his left leg in the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.

Wecheline, his mother, remembers every second of that dark day, 10 years ago this week: "I was taking a meal to my husband when the earth began to shake,” she says. “When I came home, there was nothing left of our house. I could hear Moïse under the rubble. He was crying and shouting, ‘mom, mom, mom!’”

A week later, Moïse had his leg amputated. "It was a very difficult time for me," explains his mother. “Moïse didn't have any crutches. He couldn't walk around. He had to crawl. When they told me he was going to be fitted with a prosthesis, I jumped for joy."

With support from Humanity & Inclusion, Moïse received physical therapy from our rehabilitation team and was fit with his first prosthesis in 2010. Since then, Moïse has grown, and the prosthesis, worn from use, has been replaced several times.

In recent weeks, Moïse has been busy cleaning the house and doing the washing and cooking. But his real passion is soccer. He and his brother often play on the construction site next to their house, which doubles as their soccer field. This past summer, however, his prosthesis, which was too small for him, began to hurt when he walked. Instead of playing himself, Moïse used a soccer app to play on a mobile phone.

At the end of August 2019, Moïse was fitted with his new prosthesis at a physical rehabilitation center run by Healing Hands for Haiti, which receives support from Humanity & Inclusion. Today, Moïse attends school and enjoys playing soccer with his friends.

Moïse has his sights set firmly on the future. He doesn't dream of becoming a soccer player anymore. He wants to be an engineer or doctor instead, convinced his leg could have been saved if there had been enough doctors in Haiti after the earthquake.

Watch his moves!

Haiti's 2010 earthquake

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, killing 230,000 people and injuring more than 300,000 others.

In the wake of the disaster, Humanity & Inclusion ramped up its operations, and mobilized about 600 people who deployed unprecedented levels of resources and assistance.

Humanity & Inclusion's impact, by the numbers:

• 90,000 people with rehabilitation care (click here to watch Christella's story!)
  
• 25,000 people with psychosocial support
• 1,400 people with orthopedic braces or artificial limbs
  
• 5,000+ wheelchairs, crutches and walking frames to people with disabilities
• 1,050 shelters for extremely vulnerable families
• 20,000+ tons of aid for people affected by the disaster

Today, we’re still helping Haitians with disabilities stand tall.
Donate to support our ongoing work.

NOTE: until Jan 2018, Humanity & Inclusion was known as Handicap International.

Empowering Haiti's most vulnerable

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, killing 230,000 people and injuring more than 300,000 others.

In the wake of the disaster, Humanity & Inclusion deployed one of its largest humanitarian aid operations in Haiti which continues to help strengthen the local physical rehabilitation network. At that time, there were only 13 physical therapists in the entire country and most were working abroad at the time. We ramped up our operations and mobilized about 600 people who deployed unprecedented levels of resources and assistance.

Humanity & Inclusion's impact, by the numbers:

• 90,000 people with rehabilitation care (click here to watch Christella's story!)
  
• 25,000 people with psychosocial support
• 1,400 people with orthopedic braces or artificial limbs (click here to watch a video of Moise!)
  
• 5,000+ wheelchairs, crutches and walking frames to people with disabilities
• 1,050 shelters for extremely vulnerable families
• 20,000+ tons of aid for people affected by the disaster

Devastating scene

"Improvised camps sprang up all over the place,” explains Sylvia Sommella, HI's director in Haiti. “Hundreds of survivors slept in hospital car parks. Most health facilities had collapsed.” In 2010, Sylvia arrived in Port-au-Prince a few days after the earthquake. "People were still looking for survivors trapped in the rubble. Many homes had imploded. In some places, the dust stirred up by the collapsed houses was still floating in the air. It was an apocalyptic scene."

Rapid deployment of emergency assistance

Humanity & Inclusion intervened directly after the disaster. Our teams strengthened HI’s logistics platform, already in operation for several years, and a few days after the earthquake, the first few physical therapists and tons of humanitarian equipment were already arriving in the field.

In February, a few weeks after the disaster, HI supplied the first emergency prostheses in makeshift camps. In March, we started working in a rehabilitation center. At the height of the response, more than 600 staff were in the field, supplying vital aid to survivors. Throughout our response, more than 90,000 people received rehabilitation care and more than 1,400 others were fitted with an orthosis or prosthesis. More than 25,000 victims received psychosocial support. 

Emergency preparedness

In 2012, HI launched a training program for orthopedic technicians and physical rehabilitation technicians in cooperation with USAID and Don Bosco University in El Salvador. This program, which ran until 2016, trained 86 new experts currently working in Haiti.  

HI is now focusing on ongoing training, with the goal of further developing the knowledge of local rehabilitation specialists. “We provide support to students and professionals to do online training,” Marie Dorcasse Laguerre, who is in charge of this project, explains. “After each training module, practical field sessions are organized with a physical therapist who acts as a tutor to improve their technical skills. If there is an earthquake in two to five years, professionals will be available in Haiti to deal with the emergency."

HI also works with professional organizations of physical therapists and orthopedic and rehabilitation technicians, as well as with the National Network for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities (RANIPH). Three hospitals receive support to improve the quality and build the capacity of their rehabilitation services: St Michel de Jacmel Hospital, the Hospital of the State University of Haiti in Port-au-Prince and the Hospital of the Baptist Convention of Haiti in Cap Haïtien.

Haiti today

HI also provides support to vulnerable and isolated communities in the north of the country to help them prepare for and protect themselves in the event of new natural disasters. Our team also helps some 450 people with disabilities access employment or business activities. Our team also helps prevent the number of road accidents by visiting schools to explain road hazards to children. Drivers of public transportation can also take road safety courses.

Background in 2019

Social crisis

The ongoing social and political crisis in Haiti has had a serious impact on local communities, especially people with disabilities, and reduced access to essential items, health care, education, etc. People struggle to find food and 35% of the population (3.67 million people) urgently need food assistance.

In September and October 2019, fuel shortages and insecurity limited the capacity of humanitarian organizations to assist thousands of Haitians. Haitian public services have also considerably reduced their activities. Since November 2019, the situation has stabilized, and humanitarian and development organizations have gradually resumed their work.

People with disabilities, who are among the most vulnerable and most likely to be discriminated against, are increasingly impacted by the crisis. Since the unrest began, they are disproportionately exposed to risks, such as physical violence and crime. Barricades, demonstrations etc. restrict movement and access to essential and social services like food, drinking water, and health. Humanity & Inclusion must be able to continue providing support to those most in need.

Frequent natural disasters

Frequent hurricanes and earthquakes increase vulnerability and damage already fragile infrastructure. Cholera epidemics have weakened the population, although no new cases have been reported recently.

Today, we’re still helping Haitians with disabilities stand tall.
Donate to support our ongoing work.

Photo caption: Marie, a physical therapist with Humanity & Inclusion, helps fit Maryse, a woman injured in the 2010 Haiti earthquake, with her new prosthetic leg.

NOTE: until Jan 2018, Humanity & Inclusion was known as Handicap International.

More than 3.5 million people in need of emergency food and nutrition assistance.

Port au Prince, November 21, 2019 — Humanitarian organizations in Haiti express their concern over the scale of the food crisis that has been confirmed by the publication of the results of the Integrated Framework of Classification of Food Security (IPC)[1] by the National Coordination of Food Security (CNSA) and the Ministry of Agriculture. Currently, 35% of the Haitian population needs emergency food assistance (3.67 million people). If no action is taken immediately, 4.10 million people will be affected by March to June 2020, or 40% of the Haitian population. 

Rising commodity prices, the depreciation of the Haitian Gourde relative to the US Dollar, the ongoing drought, socio-political unrest and deteriorating security conditions have all greatly reduced access to food for the poorest households. They are forced to adopt negative survival strategies that are eroding their livelihoods. 

Some areas are experiencing unprecedented levels of food insecurity, while humanitarian organizations and other actors are facing increasing access difficulties due to the deterioration of the security context. In the metropolitan area of Port au Prince, the proportion of the population in an emergency food crisis varies between 15 and 50%. In rural areas, the 2018 drought, which lasted until the first half of the year 2019, led to a decline in agricultural production of about 12% in many parts of the country. Rural areas in the departments of the North West, Artibonite, Nippes and Grand'Anse are among the most affected, and have the highest percentage of people in need of immediate assistance.

The absence of a major response during the next farming periods would have dramatic consequences for the food security of Haitian households. For the projected period, from March to June 2020, 12% of the population will be in a situation of food emergency (1.2 million people) and 28% in situation of food crisis (more than 2.8 million people), representing 40% of the total population. 

Based on the recommendations of the National Coordination of Food Security (CNSA), humanitarian organizations are making an appeal to meet the identified needs in order to urgently ensure access to food for the most affected populations in the most appropriate form by prioritizing the acquisition of local products to avoid aggravating the economic crisis; and take immediate action for the prevention and care of people suffering from acute malnutrition, especially children. This immediate assistance must imperatively be accompanied by the reconstruction and development of the livelihoods of these populations, as well as the strengthening of the surveillance and early warning system for food and nutritional security in order to better anticipate future crises.

***

Contact – Port au Prince :

Harmel Cazeau / Coordinator (Coordination National de la Sécurité Alimentaire) – [email protected]

Isabelle Faucon / Coordinator (Cadre de Liaison Inter Organisations) – [email protected]

***

[1] The use of the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) is a landmark in the fight against food insecurity. Widely accepted by the international community, IPC describes the severity of food emergencies. For more information : http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/ipc-alerts/issue-14/en/