Earthquake in Haiti: one year later

At 8:30 AM (local time) a strong earthquake struck the southern area of Haiti, causing thousands of casualties, injured and tens of thousands of displaced people.

From the very beginning AVSI took action to help the population, verifying the situation in order to distribute emergency first aid kits, food, tents for those who had lost their homes.

Among the main difficulties faced were logistical ones: due to unaccessible roads, days passed before it was possible to get aid to the most remote rural communities, among the hardest hit by the earthquake. The situation was further worsened by storm Grace, which hit the island just a couple days later.

High priority was given to protecting children and youth: just a few days after the earthquake, AVSI started setting up spaces dedicated to them, where they could play and talk about their experience.

One year after the earthquake, many international organizations have left Haiti for safety reasons. AVSI is among the few that chose to stay.

Many neighborhoods are controlled by armed gangs, which exacerbated the political and economic instability. AVSI, because of its historical presence, has access to some of these most vulnerable and conflict-ridden areas.

Here, our main activities are centered on the protection of children and women, who are particularly exposed to the violence that reigns in the country.

AVSI works with local organizations to fight gender-based violence by creating safe places to receive assistance and protection, and to prevent malnutrition by focusing on care and awareness activities that involve the entire community.