Haiti
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Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps
Our strategy
Transition from emergency assistance to long-term support that helps rural communities, entrepreneurs and youth to build a stronger, more self-sufficient country.
The context
The January 2010 earthquake dealt a tragic blow to a country where 55 percent of the population already lived below a poverty line of $1 a day. Still struggling to rebuild, many families have no means to support themselves. Harmful environmental practices have also harmed the country's vital agricultural land, decreasing production and leading to increased food insecurity.
Our work
- Emergency response: Reached more than 1 million people with emergency supplies, clean water, cholera prevention and temporary jobs immediately after the January 2010 earthquake
- Economic opportunity: Helping women start small businesses to support their families — and protecting them from future disasters with affordable microinsurance
- Agriculture & Food: Boosting farmers' harvests and helping rural communities organize for improved production
- Environment: Promoting sustainable land use practices and establishing alternative fuel sources that provide jobs
- Children & Youth: Using soccer to teach leadership, gender awareness, conflict resolution skills and HIV/AIDS prevention education
All stories about Haiti
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Haiti: On my way to Haiti January 19, 2010
Tonight, just before midnight, I will board the first flight on my way to Haiti. As most all of us have, I've seen the shocking imagery in the press and on television, so I know how it looks.
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Haiti: Talking about our response on CNN January 19, 2010
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Haiti: Taking shelter into their own hands January 18, 2010
As people emerge from the emotional shock of losing their homes, families along the roadside are starting to take the question of shelter into their own hands.
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Haiti: We met our Western Union Foundation challenge January 18, 2010
Over the holiday weekend, the Western Union Foundation gave us $50,000 to match donations to our Haiti Earthquake Fund. We finished the challenge on Martin Luther King Day.
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Haiti: Spontaneous displacement camps (8 photos) January 18, 2010
Five days after the earthquake the survivors of the quake are displaced from their homes and living in open public areas, such as parks, or in vacant lots and unused space around the city.
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Haiti: Dire conditions in spontaneous Port-au-Prince camp January 17, 2010
Today I went to an open-air camp where probably 1,000 people were living along a gravel road. They were staying out in the open and had rescued very few possessions from the rubble of their homes — maybe a blanket, one woman had a mirror, one man had a Bible ... they had incredibly little.
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Haiti: Video: Getting safe drinking water to Haiti January 17, 2010
Scarcity of safe drinking water is one of the largest challenges in post-earthquake Haiti. Through a partnership with the water treatment and transport leader ITT, we're getting five water-filtration devices to supply as many as 25,000 people with clean water.
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Haiti: Assessing Haiti's precarious water situation January 17, 2010
Today I am out visiting spontaneous camps of families displaced from their homes to determine their water situation — how much they're getting, where they're getting it, etc. — info that will be used to design our relief effort.
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Haiti: The scene in Port-au-Prince January 17, 2010
Communications and access are extremely limited after any earthquake, and this one is no exception. Text messaging is the most reliable form of communication, and we’ve been able to connect with a few people that way.
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Haiti: Dispatch from the Port-au-Prince airport January 16, 2010
Greetings from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Richard and I arrived here late Friday night, about 2am (Saturday, really).