Oxfam has assisted more than 1.7 million people in more than 200 locations.

12 JANUARY 2010

The earthquake struck at 4:53pm on 12 January, a Tuesday. It damaged or destroyed 313,000 homes, making 1.5 million people homeless. There were 220,000 deaths, 300,000 people injured, and about 10 million cubic metres of rubble. 

Within two weeks:
• Oxfam provided water for about 400,000 people
• Set up latrines and other hygiene/sanitation services in 14 urban and rural locations
• Began providing an income for survivors for jobs such as clearing rubble and constructing latrines

For more: http://www.oxfam.org.hk/content/124/one201002.pdf

1 YEAR LATER

In the first year, Oxfam assisted more than 1.2 million people, with various support:
• 3.6 billion litres of drinking water
• Water/sanitation/hygiene services in 113 camps
• Cholera prevention for 700,000 people
• Emergency shelter for 94,000 people
• Built 3,500 latrines, with privacy for women, and access for elderly and people with disability
• 135 metric tonnes of seeds and 7,000 farming tools
• Cash grants for 23,000 families to restart their livelihoods
• A free 24-hour cell-phone line for survivors to provide Oxfam with feedback, information and recommendations

For more: http://www.oxfam.org.hk/content/1444/onefeb11.pdf (page 7-13)

2 YEARS LATER

In the second year, Oxfam assisted about 532,000 people with a range of support:
• Support for farmers: seeds, training, equipment, prevention of erosion and deforestation, and national and global advocacy for more agricultural aid
• Organized the digging of an extensive network of drainage ditches
• Cholera prevention and treatment in rural and urban areas
• Construction of Ecological Sanitation (EcoSan) toilets
• Grants, loans and training to help restart more than 250 small-scale businesses
• 1,064 grants for women for literacy and small-scale business support
• Training and support for Water Committees in camps

For more: http://www.oxfam.org.hk//filemgr/1739/HaitiProgressReport_English_JH_hirez.pdf


2012 and ONWARDS

Oxfam has a 3- to 5-year plan in Haiti.

The current focus is on assisting local organisations with rebuilding rural communities and inner-city neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, and supporting these organisations to strengthen their capacity.

A main component is employment creation through developing small enterprises in urban and rural areas.

Activities will be extended for small-scale farmers, rebuilding agricultural production and strengthening markets.

Oxfam is working with government departments and the community on disaster risk reduction: community preparedness, contingency plans and rapid response. Haitians face the risk of hurricanes and floods as well as earthquakes.

Water, sanitation and public health will continue, as well as cholera prevention.

OXFAM IN HAITI

For the earthquake response, Oxfam has to date worked alongside about 100 organisations in five main sectors:
• Water and Sanitation (49)
• Livelihoods (32)
• Protection (9)
• Shelter (4)
• Disaster Risk Reduction (2)

Oxfam has raised HK$826 million for the response, including HK$10.8 million from the Hong Kong community.

As of 31 December 2011, Oxfam has allocated HK$748million.

Oxfam has been working in Haiti since 1978.

For more: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/countries/haiti.html

CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE

There is significant work ahead, as about 50% of the population has an unstable food supply, 70% has no stable employment, and 5% has cholera, the world’s highest infection rate. More than 800 camps remain, about 520,000 people live in tents or under tarpaulin, and about 5 million cubic metres of rubble remains.

Haiti’s government has not implemented comprehensive plans to address the key issues of shelter; sustainable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene; and secure livelihoods.

In the broader international context, donors have failed to meet UN humanitarian appeals and have delivered less than half of promised US$4.6 billion reconstruction funds. The international community must renew efforts to bolster the government’s capacity to effectively co-ordinate reconstruction, while consulting and engaging with Haitian citizens in the process.

For more:
(Link to 2 years after report)