Haiti Earthquake: Five Years: On Results & Lessons Learned

January 12th, 2010, marked a particularly tragic day in Haiti’s history. The effects of the earthquake on the country’s already impoverished population and infrastructure were immediate and catastrophic; out of a population of over 10 million, an estimated 3 million people were directly affected. The quake shattered the capital and neighboring cities, crippling the national government, leaving families to mourn the devastating loss of more than 230,000 lives, including an estimated 25% of civil servants. Nearly 400,000 homes and 5,000 schools were destroyed or damaged and more than 1.6 million people were rendered homeless.

For Save the Children, the numerous challenges encumbering Haiti and the sheer scale of this emergency made this one of the most difficult humanitarian responses in our history. Haiti presented—and still presents—a challenging environment for Save the Children and others addressing the needs of those who were impacted by the earthquake. With the government of Haiti taking the lead, Save the Children and other local and international nonprofit organizations as well as donor governments and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and UN continue to work together to build strong national institutions and community infrastructure.