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Quake anniversary—empowering Haiti's most vulnerable

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Haiti
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HI
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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.