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/

This January marks the tenth anniversary of the catastrophic, 7.0-magnitude Haiti earthquake, which killed at least 220,000 people, and forever altered the lives of thousands, including children like Christella and Moïse. Humanity & Inclusion deployed hundreds of staff, including rehabilitation experts, to provide care. Many of the people our donors supported were kids who had lost limbs and peace of mind.

Our donors rose to the challenge. Thanks to their generosity, Humanity & Inclusion’s Haitian beneficiaries stand tall today!

"Hi from the field," comes direct to you from our field staff. Learn why our mine action team is planting trees after clearing weapons in Colombia. Step inside a rehabilitation center in Bolivia, where our donors ensure that children with disabilities can thrive.

Watch and share! 

Colombia

Meet Erika Romero, Humanity & Inclusion's demining area manager in Colombia and learn why our mine action team is planting trees in places where they've cleared weapons.

Lebanon

Meet Rana, a physical therapist with our Lebanon team. With a goal to get more Syrian refugee children into school, and of course to improve their quality of life, she assesses children at a rehabilitation center.

Niger

Take a step inside an inclusive classroom for children with visual disabilities in Niger and watch as these incredible children learn how to read and write in Braille.

Laos

When villagers in Laos found unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from war, they immediately reached out to Humanity & Inclusion's mine action team to help remove them. Watch our deminers in action.

Chad

While visiting Humanity & Inclusion in Chad, Gilles Lordet from HQ met up with our demining team. There, he followed their every step and got to see the SAG200 (like a HUGE combine tractor) in action!

Bolivia

Valérie Beauchemin, HI's country director for the Andean States, visits a rehabilitation center where our team conducts physical therapy sessions for children ages 0-3 in Caracollo, Bolivia. Join the tour and meet sweet kiddos, Ruban and Nicolas!

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 Crystella'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

Sustainable projects

Nine years after the earthquake, the Haitian population still requires support. Humanity & Inclusion continues to provide assistance, in particular high quality rehabilitation services, as well as long-term development projects.

"In 2010, when the earthquake hit, there were hardly any rehabilitation services in the country," explains Sibille Buehlmann, Rehabilitation Technical Coordinator for HI in Haiti. "With support from USAID after the earthquake, HI was able to create a training course for rehabilitation technicians. This means more people can access rehabilitation therapy sessions in different settings. HI continues to support health units, making rehabilitation centers accessible to all and providing qualified medical staff."

In August 2015, 72 students received their qualifications, including 22 ortho-prosthetic technicians and 50 rehabilitation technicians. (click here to learn about how James trained to become a technician with HI!)

Today, HI continues to train rehabilitation technicians, improve the skills of physiotherapists, and facilitate access to quality rehabilitation services in hospitals and communities. HI also provides sustainable support (structural and technical) to develop and build the capacities of existing structures, and to sustainably improve the quality of rehabilitation services in three regional hospitals.

The organization supports around 450 people, especially people with disabilities, to help them build their confidence and improve their skills and earn a living to better provide for their families.

HI also teaches Haitians to stay safe on roads, or nearby as pedestrians. HI teams advocate to the authorities and the Haitian society on the importance of preventing road accidents. (click here to watch a video created by the team to teach Haitian children and parents how to stay safe on the roads. In French.)

Finally, in a country where a part of the population lives in isolated and remote areas, where very little relief work has been done, HI works with the most vulnerable and isolated families so that they can prepare for and protect themselves against future natural disasters.

Commitment to emergency response

Alongside its development projects, HI regularly mobilizes its teams when a natural disaster occurs. In particular, the organization came to the assistance of the victims of Hurricane Matthew in September 2016, by providing rehabilitation, emergency response and hygiene kits, a logistics platform to deliver aid goods, and more.

This literature review examined spinal cord injury survivors of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan, the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

The effects of an earthquake in an urban area can be devastating. Often much is destroyed, including significant materials and human public health infrastructures, communication and transportation networks, as well as medical facilities. There are also vast individual risk factors to be conscious of, including pre-existing disabilities, extremes of age, chronic illness, and lack of mobility. 

Proper care and knowledge regarding spinal cord injuries is critical in any emergency response, such as an earthquake; on-scene spinal immobilization, intravenous access and maintenance of cervical alignment are critical. In addition, rapid referral to a multidisciplinary care facility with appropriate rehabilitation services is essential.  

Download the report:

Medical rehabilitation of spinal cord injury following earthquakes

On January 12, 2010 an earthquake of Richter magnitude 7.0 occurred off the coast of Haiti and near to its capital of Port au Prince. The number of injured estimated at perhaps 300,000, with 4,000 amputations reported. The nature and scale of the international response was documented and Haiti was overwhelmed and unable to control or contain the flow of this aid.  

The disaster response environment in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake represented a complex healthcare challenge. This study was designed to identify challenges during the Haiti disaster response through qualitative and quantitative study of injured patients. It was carried out six months after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti to review the surgical inputs of foreign medical teams.

This study showed that challenges for emergency medical response during the Haiti Earthquake involved issues of accountability, professional ethics, standards of care, unmet needs, patient agency, and expected outcomes for patients in such settings.

Download the Report:

The Surgical and Rehabilitation Response to the Haiti Earthquake

One year ago, on October 4, 2016, Haiti was hit by Hurricane Matthew, which churned over the Caribbean nation as a Category 4 storm. The results were catastrophic, leaving more than 600 Haitians dead, and affecting more than 2.1 million people.

Haiti, a country prone to natural disasters, is expecting to face serious problems accessing the areas most impacted by Hurricane Irma. The Category 5 storm is expected to pass over the northern coast of Haiti later today. However, accompanying strong winds and heavy rainfall could have disastrous consequences for the region’s inhabitants and make it difficult for transporting essential supplies. 

The town of Cap Haïtien, the largest population center in the north of the island, is home to more than 300,000 people, many of whom live in shanty towns. “Most homes are poorly built, and some are made from corrugated iron, wood, and mud, so Irma is likely to leave many families without a roof over their heads,” explains Patrick Kelders, head of Handicap International’s actions in Haiti. “And probably without livelihoods.”