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Haiti: Two years after the earthquake
The European Commission's humanitarian aid and civil protection response

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For the Commission's Department of Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), Haiti is the largest operation in Latin America and the Caribbean and in 2010 was the third top recipient of ECHO's aid worldwide (after Pakistan and Sudan). ECHO's total contribution to Haiti from 2009 up to the end of 2012 will amount to €184 million.


Earthquake response

ECHO's response to the massive needs after the 7.0 earthquake on January 12th 2010 was fast and decisive. The earthquake killed 222,750 people and left 313.000 houses damaged or destroyed and up to 1.7 million displaced. Initially, ECHO allocated €100 million to provide life-saving help in the areas of food, water, sanitation, health and shelter. In addition to this, already ongoing actions (totaling €8.5 million) from ECHO's 2009 Global Plan and DIPECHO Action Plan were redirected or amended to be used in the earthquake response. The funds helped provide hundreds of thousands of affected people with plastic sheeting and tents, safe drinking water, food and non-food items such as blankets, kitchen utensils and hygiene articles. They also ensured the construction of latrines and showers for the population. Disaster Risk Reduction was enhanced and mainstreamed in the whole response operation. The European Union Civil Protection Mechanism provided support for the coordination of the Member States' civil protection assistance: 25 European countries were involved in the relief effort and channeled their assistance through the Mechanism.

About 5 million people have benefited from ECHO funded projects. As well as helping those in camps and small settlements, the Commission's aid also targeted people in parts of the country that were not directly affected by the earthquake but where significant numbers of displaced people sought refuge in the aftermath of the disaster.

Cholera epidemic response

ECHO also addressed the cholera epidemic declared in October 2010, which according to the Ministry of Public Health December 2011 data, has killed 7,001 people (with 281,440 hospital admissions and 522,335 cases registered in the country), making it one of the world largest epidemics ever recorded and certainly the worst epidemic recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean for more than a century. Due to a very weak health system and poor access to clean water, infection and mortality rates were initially very high among a vulnerable population with no immunity against a disease which had not been seen in Haiti in the past century.

ECHO has provided assistance during the acute phase of the epidemic, devoting €22 million to cholera treatment facilities and improving water and sanitation conditions, as well as promoting hygiene habits to prevent the disease from spreading. Support has also been given for epidemiological surveillance and logistics. 3 million people have benefitted from this aid.

Between the earthquake and cholera response, ECHO's total contribution to Haiti in 2010 was €130 million.

ECHO's current strategy in Haiti

In 2011, ECHO allocated €38.5 million for the earthquake and cholera responses and for disaster risk reduction to be incorporated throughout the humanitarian response. Malnutrition and mother and infant health care were also areas of priority for ECHO, the objectives here were to reduce malnutrition and make obstetric care available to reduce the prevalence of diseases and mortality rates. Operations and data that had been disrupted by the earthquake and cholera epidemic were reinvigorated. Last December, the European Commission allocated a further €3 million to the 2011 humanitarian aid budget for the country, bringing the total of humanitarian funding by the European Commission in 2011 to €38.5 million. For 2012, the Commission has set aside €15.25 million in humanitarian aid for Haiti. The 3 main focuses for this funding will be:

  1. Response to displacement. ECHO will support the ongoing assistance to the victims of the earthquake with a focus on the return, relocation or permanent solutions in camps for people who have no other solution. Actions will aim at facilitating the return of people to their areas of origin, while ensuring that at least a minimal package of services is still provided for those who are unable to go home. Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion will also be an important component of ECHO's strategy, with waste management, disaster risk reduction and gender as cross-cutting issues.

  2. Cholera response. As the cholera epidemic becomes an endemic problem, the goal is to continue ensuring the provision of adequate treatment, promote access to safe water and proper sanitation and hygiene –which are crucial in preventing the disease - and build the capacity of the national health staff and the Ministry of Health to respond to the disease. ECHO is currently attempting to ensure an adequate transition from the emergency response to addressing this endemic problem with structural measures. The sanitation services of the country will need to be upgraded, and cholera case management needs to be integrated into the health services.

  3. Disaster Risk Reduction. The new Disaster Preparedness action plan, launched in August 2011 and that will continue throughout 2012, includes €5.5 million in funding to help the most vulnerable communities, schools, local authorities and national emergency response systems to prepare better for emergencies and reduce the risks they are exposed to. This plan will benefit 1.3 million people. The main goal is to increase the local capacities for disaster response and support the capacity building of the Haitian government (with support to the National System of Disaster Risk Management and Civil Protection Directorate) and the Haitian Red Cross. To avoid future catastrophes, DRR must be firmly lodged in Haiti's reconstruction and development processes.

 

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