UNICEF in Haiti: disaster relief and sustainable development for children

NEW YORK (January 13, 2010) — UNICEF has been working in Haiti since 1949 and currently has 10 international staff and 34 national staff at its office in Port Au-Prince. Working directly with Haiti's government, UNICEF is developing longterm solutions to current problems caused by poverty and lack of basic health care, education and sanitation services.

Background on the situation of children in Haiti

Haiti is one of the poorest countries on earth—it ranks 148 out of 179 countries on UNDP’s Human Development Index, is struggling to recover from years of violence, insecurity and instability and has a long history of being struck by one natural disaster after another. 2008 was a particularly difficult year for Haiti, particularly Haitian children and women, as the country was hit hard by the combined effects of the food crisis and four successive hurricanes and tropical storms. This came on the back of the widespread devastation caused by Tropical Storm Noel in 2007.

Haiti's income distribution is highly skewed, with only one in every 50 Haitians holding a steady, wage-earning job. Access to services is highly unequal: the poorer the child is, the less likely he or she is to have access to basic rights. Far too many Haitian children and women

are engaged in a struggle for their right to basic necessities like adequate nutrition, clean water, education and protection from violence. Haiti also has the second-highest population density in the western hemisphere. Four out of every ten children live in homes with mud floors or in severly overcrowded conditions, with more than five people living in each room. With an estimated 46% of the population currently under the age of 18, the struggle of Haitian children reverberates throughout society, and one that is bound to have serious consequences far into the future.

Haiti’s location and widespread deforestation (97% of all land is deforested) make it extremely vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms. This leads to widespread flooding, erosion and mudslides when tropical storms hit. With so many people living at such close quarters – and with access to clean water and sanitary conditions severely compromised even in the best of times—vulnerability to the spread of life-threatening waterborne diseases can skyrocket when a natural disaster strikes, as can difficulties in delivering much needed food, medical supplies and protection services. Children, as is too often the case, are most likely to suffer the consequences.

Emergencies and disaster relief efforts in Haiti, 2006-2008

2006: Floods in November affect 15,014 people.

2007: Flooding from Tropical Storm Noel in October affected 108,763 people and left 90 dead; earlier floods affected 75,947 people and killed 41; March floods affected 15,014 people and killed 12.

2008: Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike affected 165,337 households, destroyed 27,702 homes and impacted or displaced an estimated 800,000 people including 300,000 children. Nearly 1000 schools were destroyed affecting 200,000 school children. Total costs of damages estimated at $1 billion. UNICEF responded to the crisis in water/sanitation, child protection, health and education for people affected by the 4 successive hurricanes.

UNICEF's ongoing programs for children in Haiti

Water and sanitation

• 400,000 Haitians reached every year through awareness campaigns in construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure, and technical support to the government
• 100,000 additional persons have access to drinking water and improved sanitation facilities

Child protection

• More than 1500 children affected by armed violence assisted through UNICEF-supported actions in Cité-Soleil.
• 2,800 homeless children treated at health facilities
• 1000 children and women, victims of sexual violence, receive psychosocial support and medical care

Health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS

• 2007-2008 National Immunisation Campaign has covered 58% of the population (5.7 million Haitians)
• 4 million children and women received Vitamin A
• 12,000 children including 3,000 with acute malnutrition treated
• Reduction of maternal mortality for 15,000 women through urgent obstetrical surgery
• 37 health centers equipped with waste management incinerators
• Reduction of maternal mortality for 15,000 women through urgent obstetrical surgery
• 40,000 adolescents involved in HIV/Aids awareness campaign. 1 in 8 undergoing VCT

Education

• 200,000 schoolchildren assist-ed nationwide through various programs aimed at getting children into school and keeping them there
• 100,000 School-in-a-Box kits distributed in the Northwest Department
• Rehabilitation of 18 schools for 20,000 children in the West Department
• 50,000 school children have access to Child-Friendly schools
• 3,000 children age 3-6 benefit from school-readiness based interventions

Unmet funding needs for Haiti

UNICEF is appealing to donors for $18.5 million to meet the urgent needs of Haitian children and women affected by the disaster.