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Roundup: Haiti’s struggles, a decade after earthquake catastrophe

Nearly four million Haitians, one in three, are estimated to need food aid this year.

Haitian police officers confront a man during clashes with protesters marching the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to demand the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse. Andres Martinez Casares/Reuters
Haitian police officers confront a man during clashes with protesters marching the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to demand the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse.

Ten years ago this week, Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake that killed between 100,000 and 300,000 people and displaced more than one million. It now faces a growing hunger crisis, with one in three Haitians expected to need food aid this year.

The poor Caribbean nation is still struggling to recover, from both the damage of the earthquake and the inadvertent harm caused by responders. The disaster was also a learning experience for the many international aid organisations that entered the fray. But, a decade on, some of the same mistakes are still being made in Haiti, and around the world.

Take a look at this roundup of our recent reporting on Haiti, as well as some of our stories from after the earthquake hit.

    
A woman prays among the rubble of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption that got destroyed in the 12 January 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
    

Hunger in Haiti: Ten years after catastrophe struck, a new crisis looms

A decade on from one of the deadliest natural disasters ever, drought, hurricanes, inflation, and political instability have left many desperate.

    
    

Food and medical aid under threat as Haiti protests worsen

Roadblocks and unrest on the streets are preventing access to those in need as hunger grows amid rising anger at government corruption.

    
    

Briefing: Haiti’s new crisis and the humanitarian risks

Protests have erupted at high inflation, soaring prices, and a political elite accused of siphoning off billions of dollars in foreign aid.

    

Failed policies in Haiti fuel a post-hurricane food crisis

Tonnes of food aid do nothing to solve the bigger threat to Haiti posed by corruption, climate change and a collapsed agricultural sector.

    
Haitians install a makeshift tent city near Port-au-Prince's airport after a powerful earthquake all but destroyed the capital 201001261219400562
    

Risk and treatment amid the rubble

In the aftermath of Haiti's 7.0 magnitude quake, one of the Caribbean's largest antiretroviral (ARV) programmes is struggling to resurrect itself from the rubble.

Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State 200908051332480217
    

Unravelling the conundrum of US aid to Haiti

In reporting that “not a cent” of the $1.15 billion the US promised for Haiti reconstruction at the UN donors’ conference in March had reached the stricken nation, the Associated Press largely cast the blame on a single senator – Tom Coburn, a conservative Republican from Oklahoma who had objected to a minor provision in the legislation that authorised the spending.

A young girl afflicted with cholera lies in a bed at the crowded St. Nicholas Hospital in Saint Marc, in the Artibonite region of Haiti, where Cuban doctors and doctors with Médecins Sans Frontières are treating those infected 201010281222540281
    

Rush to contain cholera outbreak

Medical staff and supplies are being rushed to Artibonite department, where five cholera treatment centres are being erected to complement the main hospital and clinics, in a bid to prevent the disease from reaching the capital, Port-au-Prince.

    
Young women at Jean-Marie Vincent camp for displaced families in Port-au-Prince sell charcoal and fruits. March 2010 201004051229450281
    

Are humanitarians learning the lessons from Haiti?

Listen to locals, tap into existing capacity, coordinate needs assessments, find strong leaders and provide transitional shelter - not just tents. 

Haiti 201111041227140188
    

Haiti's rape survivors

More than 18 months since the earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010, women and girls living in makeshift camps remain vulnerable to sexual violence.

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