Media coverage since the 2010 earthquake has focused on government inaction, the slow pace of recovery, and the seeming inability of Haiti to recover. “One year after the earthquake, the situation in Haiti remains extremely grave. Overall reconstruction of the country has been much slower than anyone would have liked,” said Aaron Tate, Church World Service’s Haiti earthquake response coordinator. “Haitians are frustrated, and I’m frustrated.” Others in Haiti also acknowledge problems in the last year.
"It’s easy to blame the government, the humanitarian organizations or even the Haitian people for the problems of the last year.” Tate said. "It is more useful however to work on “things that can multiply and build a new kind of Haiti. In the communities, we see people trying to move on with their lives.” Tate added that while criticism of rebuilding efforts is understandable, thousands of Haitians are alive today because of the initial and ongoing response of aid workers and the agencies they work for. Many people would have died without such assistance.
"It’s easy to blame the government, the humanitarian organizations or even the Haitian people for the problems of the last year.” Tate said. "It is more useful however to work on “things that can multiply and build a new kind of Haiti. In the communities, we see people trying to move on with their lives.” Tate added that while criticism of rebuilding efforts is understandable, thousands of Haitians are alive today because of the initial and ongoing response of aid workers and the agencies they work for. Many people would have died without such assistance.
Haitians are living lives of quiet dignity, working together toward the common good. Co-ops assist in pooling resources, raise and harvest crops, and provide agricultural credit to members. “It’s the co-op that has helped us since we’ve returned from Port-au-Prince,” said Ophliase Joseph, 55, the mother of seven children whose home was destroyed in the earthquake. While Joseph said she misses the family home in the Haitian capital, life in the co-op, in Mayombe, has made her realize that she and the family need to put life in Port-au-Prince behind them she said.
The food co-ops are also meeting the challenge of providing food for their members and their families. “It means life to us,” said Elvius St. Fulis a member of the “Hand in Hand” co-op. Efforts continue to expand the 13 food cooperatives, which have more than 3,000 members. There is ongoing support for vulnerable Haitian children in Port-au-Prince, including restavek children (domestic servants), former gang members and teenage mothers and there is continued support for 1,200 persons with disabilities and their families in metropolitan Port-au-Prince.
Source: Church World Service
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