Six months after the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti, the recovery effort has been stalled by a combination of political, social and economic factors.
More than 230,000 people were killed and 1.5 million were made homeless by the quake, but the Guardian reports on the struggles facing the Caribbean nation.
Despite pledges of $5.3 billion from the international community over the next two years to rebuild Haiti’s ruined infrastructure, only a tiny fraction has so far been delivered, as aid agencies and donor countries complain that Haiti’s government has not provided the necessary blueprint for recovery.
The reconstruction effort was described in a report by Senator John Kerry to Congress last month as “stalled” amid a lack of leadership and disagreements among donors and disorganisation. That verdict has been confirmed by a series of reports from major aid agencies, delivered in the last week ahead of the six-month anniversary tomorrow, painting a bleak picture of conditions in Haiti.
“It’s an emergency response still,” says Mary Kate MacIsaac, a spokeswoman in Haiti for the Christian relief group World Vision. “We are still meeting the basic needs of people in these camps … but it’s not sustainable. We need to transition into the recovery or the long-term goal.”
Frustration is high among Haitians and aid groups who say they see halting and haphazard progress toward recovery.