What is changing?
Two years after the earthquake, things ARE changing in Haiti. The country is not just "in recovery." It is on the cusp of real, historic change for children. How do we know? Because UNICEF is on the ground, working with local partners who are making these changes.
Who are these partners and how does UNICEF work with them to realize child rights and protections in Haiti?
Read the UNICEF report
Children of Haiti Two Years After: What is Changing?
UNICEF's role
As a long-term development partner working in the country for decades, UNICEF supports government and institutions to make transformative progress for children. Since the earthquake, UNICEF has also scaled up basic interventions to support critical needs in health, water and sanitation and protection.
In 2011, these services included
- Malnutrition screening and treament for 400,000 children
- Nutrition and breastfeeding counseling for 500,000 new mothers
- Reunification of more than 2,700 children separated from their parents
- Routine vaccination coverage for almost 80% of Haiti's children, up from 58% previously
The road ahead
There is more work to do to protect the most vulnerable, impoverished and underserviced children of Haiti. Just as there is more rubble to clear and more homeless families to move out of camps, there are more children excluded from basic services like education and healthcare. Progress made in preventing child trafficing and reducing cholera in fections must be safeguarded with continued work to strengthen the country's institutions.
Haiti recovery stories
April 30, 2012
Clean water brings hope to neighborhoods in Haiti
All day long, a steady stream of residents, young and old, line up to fill their buckets with affordable, clean water at the water kiosks of Cité l’Eternel, a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The water project is run by GRET, a French NGO that receives support from UNICEF, and targets 50 of the poorest neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince. There are about 300 kiosks in these neighborhoods, and they represents a sustainable, concrete move to reduce post-earthquake reliance on expensive water brought in by trucks.
February 9, 2012
Improving water and sanitation in Haiti
An important part of UNICEF's recovery work in Haiti is focused on improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Following the devastating earthquake many displaced Haitians were forced to live in camps with limited access to clean water and sanitation. A devastating cholera outbreak made access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation more important than ever. UNICEF is providing WASH services in camps and is also providing schools with chlorine tabs, posters about cholera prevention and soap.
February 3, 2012
UNICEF providing vaccines to children in Haiti's hardest-to-reach communities
UNICEF is implementing a program to ensure that every child in Haiti is immunized against diseases like polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and measles-rubella. The program, known as RED (Reach Every District), helps manage resources and link services with communities. RED also provides supportive supervision and monitoring for action. This approach will improve communication between communities and health workers, increasing vaccination coverage.
Read more Haiti recovery and reconstruction stories
