Much progress in Haiti 3 years after the devastating earthquake

Port-au-Prince – The international children’s organization Plan International has announced that it is shifting the focus of its work in the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti to a recovering and rebuilding mode after a prolonged period of emergency response.

“The road to recovery will be a long one but Plan International is here for the long haul. We must ensure the country is not forgotten and we will do all possible to continue to help the people of Haiti recover and rebuild,” said Chief Executive Officer of the UK-based Plan International, Nigel Chapman.

Plan Haiti’s Country Director John Chaloner said that “the emergency response has taken longer than anticipated because we were up against the odds but we are satisfied that we have turned the corner and can now turn our attention to long term development.”

That development in the immediate future will focus on equal education for all, full participation for girls in society, birth registration for every baby, and health education to combat cholera and other common diseases.

During the past three years Plan has helped more than 33,000 children return to school and built 314 classrooms which are earthquake and hurricane resistant. Plan Haiti has also trained more than 1200 women in micro-finance in the South-East and North-East and conducted a series of programmes to sensitise children on their rights. Key members of the public were also sensitised on how to spot telltale signs of child trafficking.

Other pressing issues remain for the country such as the reconstruction of government buildings and access to land for Haitians to rebuild their homes.

The 2010 earthquake killed more than 300,000 people and was followed by political unrest, storms, floods and a major cholera epidemic.