12th January 2012

Two years after the earthquake Doctors of the World and other NGOs have pledged not to abandon Haiti but to stay to build the country back to what it was prior to the devastating earthquake of January 2010.  The message came in a joint statement which was issued by the Haiti NGO Co-ordination Committee.

Approximately 500,000 people remain in tents in  Port-au-Prince, Léogâne, Petit-Goâve and other earthquake-affected areas. Infants, young children, the disabled, the elderly and women in camps remain particularly vulnerable to violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect, and lack adequate protection and support. Access to safe water and sanitation remains a daily struggle for millions around the country. Quality and affordable healthcare and basic education remain elusive for most. The outbreak of cholera across all regions of Haiti has claimed thousands of lives and is still a major threat to public health.

Doctors of the World is calling on the international community to honour its promises to Haiti and to stay the course.  Now is not the time to pull back; we must scale-up, make and keep real long-term commitments. The Haitian government has a vital role to play, and we must work closely together to support it to reach a point where it can lead and galvanize the efforts of all to rebuild Haiti. We all have a responsibility to remember and honour the promises we made to Haiti two years ago this week.

Read the Haiti NGO Haiti Co-ordination Committee statement.