As most of you probably know, on January 12 of 2010 a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti and the surrounding area – killing more than 220,000 people, injuring tens of thousands of others, and forcing the displacement of approx. 1.5 million people into relocation camps and tent villages.
A recent investigation by the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) determined that even now, 11 years later, at least 26 such camps are still occupied, mostly in the areas of Delmas and Port-au-Prince.
The report stated, “Nearly 50,000 people have been left to their own, living in these camps in appalling conditions without any governmental services, and without help from any humanitarian organizations.”
On a personal note, over the last several years many of our team members have been in Haiti on the anniversary of the earthquake, and participated in various memorial services honoring the victims – I think most of us would agree, these have been some of our most moving and meaningful moments in Haiti.
