Students play outside Mamalu Kindergarten and Primary School in Port-au-Prince, the capital. The school, which collapsed during the earthquake, was rebuilt by UNICEF in a semi-permanent facility, allowing children to return to school as quickly as possible and to regain a sense of normalcy after the disaster. © UNICEF/NYHQ2011-2089/Dormino.
A year ago in Queensland we saw terrible floods take the lives of more than 35 people. Our media was filled with the shocking images of such a disaster and the personal stories of courage and tragedy that surround such events. Australians stood in solidarity with the many thousands of families across Queensland and later in the month, down in Victoria, who lost their houses, schools, hospitals and community meeting places. Their lives were turned upside down.
While the personal impacts of disaster can never be fairly compared, the tragedy of Australia’s recent floods pale when examining the earthquake that struck Haïti on January 12, 2010.
One of the poorest countries in the world, Haïti covers an area that would fit two and a half times into Tasmania. Its capital and heaviest populated areas were decimated with the ferocity of the quake and its aftershocks. The government of Haïti suggests more than 300,000 of its 9 million people were killed in the quake and the following days. In truth, echoing the lack of infrastructure and government structures that existed before the quake meaning so many births were never even registered, the exact number of people who perished then and in the following days will never be known.
Two years on the scars of disaster are still visible on the infrastructure, institutions and social systems of Haïti. They are also apparent on the bodies and in the minds of children, parents and caregivers.
As the second anniversary of this calamitous event passes, there is also clear evidence of healing - and of not just recovery, but meaningful and positive change that holds the key to transforming the lives of Haiti’s children.
Read UNICEF report Children of Haiti: Two years after.
A massive challenge for the emergency response was where, in such a small and heavily populated country, that the 10 million cubic metres of rubble which choked the streets and alleys could be dumped. Today, much of that challenge has been met.
The vast majority of people who took shelter on public and private land have moved out of the temporary and overcrowded camps. The education system, though still inadequate and overstretched, is functioning. This year against all odds, committed teachers and bureaucrats, helped UNICEF gather data on the number and status of schools and strengthen their curriculum and teaching systems. With strong political commitment, education has been extended to more than 700,000 children. At the same time a large coalition of UNICEF partners expanded protective services including sustainable interventions to better register, reunite and/or care for separated children.
There is evidence of little victories everywhere and the victories are joining up to show the potential for long term improvement. Yet serious gaps in Haïti’s basic infrastructure remain. Whilst impoverished before the quake, Haïti today remains a fragile state that requires a long term commitment to overcome the chronic poverty, under-development and weak institutions that leave children vulnerable to shocks and the impact of disaster.
UNICEF Representative in Haiti Françoise Gruloos-Ackermans says, “in the last year of our 'transitional programme' for earthquake recovery, UNICEF is continuing to implement a mix of humanitarian relief, capacity development for institutional re-building and advocacy." These programs are being implemented simultaneously to address both acute and chronic challenges that prevent the realisation of child rights.
Read UNICEF report Children of Haïti: Two years after.
In 2012, UNICEF will maximise its powerful convening role to leverage the partnerships and resources mobilised to “tend the seeds of change” that have already been planted, in solidarity with supporters around the world.
“Keeping children safe, healthy and learning is a mutual goal - one shared by parents, teachers, both private sector and public sector partners, religious organisations (including the voodoo community), the new government and other duty-bearers across the nation”, said Ms Gruloos-Ackermans.
"It is also a goal sharedby states in Haïti’s close proximity and by individuals in countries far from the Caribbean Sea. A wide range of actors are working together to innovate, problem solve and generate momentum to enable these seeds to take a firm root and grow.
Ms Gruloos-Ackermans concludes: “Each of us has a role to play. And in Haïti, it is a long term commitment."
To read more about the situation for children in Haïti, see the UNICEF report Children of Haïti: Two years after.
Children of Haïti: Two years after
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