: Building a more resilient post-earthquake future in Haiti #IndiaNEWS #International One year on from a devastating earthquake which struck Haiti, communities are rebuilding their lives, and aiming

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Building a more resilient post-earthquake future in Haiti #IndiaNEWS #International
One year on from a devastating earthquake which struck Haiti, communities are rebuilding their lives, and aiming to be better prepared when future disasters strike.





A line of women carry rocks in the hands and on their heads as they descend to a gully on the side of a hill in southern Haiti. They are bringing the rocks so their community can build barriers which will slow down the flow of water across this verdant valley and protect the land, which is so important to this rural farming community, from erosion.
The team of workers building the barriers is made up of women and men from vulnerable communities in one of three departments across Haiti’s southern peninsula which were hit by a destructive 7. 2 magnitude earthquake on 14 August, 2021.
More than 2,200 people died in the disaster and over 137,000 homes were destroyed or damaged, as well as hospitals, schools and key transport infrastructure, including roads and bridges.
Just down the valley, another team of around 36 people is working hard at clearing the road. They are being paid some 500 Haitian gourdes (around ) for a 4-5 hour day and will spend 20 days working to improve their community.






UN Haiti/Daniel Dickinson
Road rehabilitation work is carried out by people living in Laurent in southern Haiti.


Support for vulnerable people
“The money I earn helps me to pay for food, school and other household needs,� says Tesse Medgune. “Many families lost their livelihood because of the earthquake so this helps us to survive. �
The rehabilitation work on the side of the hill and valley road is supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) and is part of a Haitian government effort to improve the resilience of vulnerable people who are threatened by natural disasters. Many of these people are also receive support to improve food production activities and their nutrition.  
There are 16 similar teams in in this immediate area and many more across the southern peninsula of Haiti where the earthquake caused most damage.
“The money people have earned is important in the short-term to get them through the difficult post-earthquake period,� says WFP’s Sophia Toussaint, ‘but it’s also crucial to their longer-term future. Protecting the hillside stops soil erosion and means farmers are less likely to lose their crops in a natural disaster; having a good road allows produce to be more easily sent to market� she adds. “It also means that aid can be delivered more effectively, and people can get to hospital if there is another earthquake. �
Jerry Chandler is the Director General of Haiti’s Civil Protection agency.

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