With years of political instability, over half the population were already living on less than $1 (around 70p) per day. A third of children suffered chronic malnutrition – one of the highest rates in the world. With schools, hospitals and homes all destroyed and having to be rebuilt, hope for Haiti’s already uncertain future was severely set back by the earthquake.
The earthquake marked the start of Islamic Relief’s work in Haiti, and we responded immediately, delivering emergency aid to survivors. Eleven days after the earthquake, we had set up the first of our three camps. Each of these included water and sanitation facilities, like toilets, showers and drainage systems, food and water distributions, hygiene kits, and essential survival items like blankets and kitchen sets to prepare meals.
Our £6 million programme covered more than just immediate response however – we also started rebuilding three schools for over 2,500 students, built new homes for 800 families, provided vocational training to help people develop skills to find new jobs, and continued to support over 1,000 families living in Islamic Relief camps. With your help, we have been able to remain with the people of Haiti, supporting them well beyond the immediate aftermath of this tragic disaster.