January 12 will mark the 10 year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. On January 12, 2010 at 4:53 pm, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit an area about 25 kilometres from Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. In the aftermath of the disaster, between 220,000 and 300,000 people lost their lives and up to three million people were severely impacted, creating the worst humanitarian crisis the country has faced to date.
Homes destroyed in the aftermath of the earthquake. Photo: Jon Warren
Ten years later, Haiti is still struggling to fully recover from the earthquake and subsequent natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
While progress has been made, some of the issues prior to the earthquake still persist in Haiti, such as weak political governance, lack of infrastructure, and limited access to basic resources. In 2019, widespread anti-government protests have shut down schools, businesses, and worsened humanitarian needs.
Girls participate in activities at a World Vision Child Friendly Space in Port-au-Prince. Photo: Paul Bettings
Despite all of this, there is hope. To date, World Vision continues to walk alongside Haitians to rebuild their nation by strengthening their communities. You can be a part of this work by sponsoring a child in Haiti. Child sponsorship helps provide vulnerable children with essentials such as food, clean water, education and health care.
To find out more, please click here.
