January 12, 2011 - One Year Anniversary Update

January 12th marks the one year anniversary of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. One year ago, more than 230,000 lives were lost in five minutes and nearly three million people were affected. Now, a full year later, more than a million people are still displaced, living in camps or on the street. Heartland Alliance has been on the ground in Haiti since the disaster, working to protect these displaced people and other vulnerable groups.

With the generous support of individual donors, Heartland Alliance was able to set up initial operations in Haiti, provide emergency medical care to thousands of people in the days and weeks after the earthquake, and develop a wide range of sustainable programs. 

Currently, Heartland Alliance works to identify separated children, locate and reunite them with their relatives, and provide support to these vulnerable families. Heartland Alliance also implements programs to combat child trafficking and child slavery, support young women leaders, and empower youth in displaced persons camps through recreational activities. Heartland Alliance programs also provide psychosocial relief to earthquake-affected people and support the local LGBT movement.

Heartland Alliance responded quickly to the cholera epidemic that broke out last year by distributing hygiene promotion materials, training children and adults on cholera prevention techniques, and providing lifesaving oral serum to treat the disease. The flexibility and responsiveness of Heartland's programming in Haiti has been possible because of individual donors.  

Much work remains to be done in Haiti. As Haiti continues to be hit by hurricanes, landslides, disease outbreaks, and political unrest, the most vulnerable continue to suffer in silence. Please continue to support Heartland Alliance's efforts in Haiti by making a donation today. 

Displaced people still living in camps, a year later

Key achievements over the past year include:

• Over 6,000 people treated by Heartland medical staff in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake
• 13,936 children screened as potential victims of trafficking on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic
• 357 separated or unaccompanied minors registered and entered into the family tracing and reunification database
• 207 children reunified with family members or previous caregivers
• 8,183 people sensitized on child protection and the risks of family separation
• 25,071 people trained on cholera prevention and treatment
• 103 displaced persons camps reached with cholera prevention materials and recreational programs

  Current programs and donors include:

• Family Tracing and Reunification, and Family Support and Separation Prevention in Port-au-Prince and Northeast Province (UNICEF)
•  Child Protection and Trafficking Prevention at the Malpasse, Ouanaminthe, Belladère, and Anse-a-Pitres Border Crossings (UNICEF and the US Department of State)
• Psychosocial Support for Displaced Haitian Families (CHF International and Johnson & Johnson)
• Women Empowered to Lead and Advocate for Development (USAID)
• Community-led Programs for Children, Adolescents, and Vulnerable Groups in Displaced Communities (UNICEF)
• Haiti LGBT Recovery (private donations, Arcus Foundation, Gill Foundation)