UNICEF in the Field in Haiti
May 1, 2013
Micronutrients Help Malnourished Children in Haiti Thrive
In Haiti, 22 percent of children aged 6 to 59 months experience chronic malnutrition, with the highest rates in the poorest areas. One way UNICEF is tackling this health challenge is through nutritional interventions, like community meetings to inform families on what foods they can plant in their gardens and eat to help balance their diets. An important part of this initiative is the distribution of a multiple micronutrient powder. Using this powder can increase children’s chances of survival, especially during the first two years of life.
March 26, 2013
UNICEF Ambassador Rory McIlroy Announces Return Visit to Haiti
World number one golfer and UNICEF Ambassador Rory McIlroy today announced that he will visit Haiti April 1-2 to support UNICEF’s lifesaving work in the country. While in Haiti, the current US PGA golf champion will visit schools and communities that are benefiting from UNICEF-supported projects to improve child health and education through the provision of clean water and improved hygiene. McIlroy’s first visit to Haiti with UNICEF was in 2011. Haiti was devastated by the 2010 earthquake and the people of Haiti have suffered a great deal.
January 10, 2013
Three Years after Earthquake, Significant Progress for Children Reported
Nearly three years after the devastating earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, the educational, health, and nutritional status of children has improved substantially, according to the results of a new national survey. “Results of the survey show that the efforts of UNICEF and its partners in Haiti in these three years contributed to progress in many sectors and mitigated the impact on children of the 2010 earthquake, the cholera outbreak and other disasters,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative in Haiti.
December 21, 2012
Recovering from the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti, Petit Goave Rebuilds Its Water System
The massive earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 destroyed the water system of Petit Goave, a coastal city near the quake’s epicenter. Now, thanks to a UNICEF-supported effort, the water system has been rebuilt with new pipes and new safety measures to reduce the likelihood of future water shortages. One of the beneficiaries is Tayet Rousseau, a mother of three whose business selling small goods was destroyed in the earthquake. Rousseau now has a water tap that delivers clean, safe water to the front yard of her modest home.
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.
January 24, 2012
In Haiti, an unprecedented expansion in nutrition services for children and women
Even before the devastating earthquake, malnutrition had reached crisis levels in Haiti. One fifth of children under age 5 were underweight, and nearly a third suffered chronic malnutrition. Two years after the disaster, there has been an unprecedented expansion in preventative and therapeutic nutrition services for children and women. Services include helping local doctors refine their abilities to ensure nutrition programs continue to operate efficiently and teaching the importance of breastfeeding to mothers among others.
January 20, 2012
Playing, learning and recovering in Haiti
It might look like simple fun, but the dominos, coloring pencils, construction blocks, hand puppets, puzzle pieces and memory games are about more than just a good time for children in Haiti. They are part of the thousands of early childhood development kits UNICEF has distributed since Haiti’s devastating earthquake to reintroduce normalcy and stability to the lives of children. The kits are part of a broader UNICEF program to help children recover from the trauma and prepare them for years of learning and growth.
January 13, 2012
Two years after the earthquake, victories for Haiti’s children
Since the 2010 catastrophe, UNICEF has helped more than 750,000 children to return to school. Some 80,000 of these children now attend classes in 193 safe, earthquake-resistant schools constructed by UNICEF. In addition, with UNICEF support, over 120,000 children are enjoying structured play in 520 child-friendly spaces. More than 15,000 malnourished children have received life-saving care through 314 UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding programmes.
