Haiti reconstruction after a monstrous earthquake toppled buildings and killed a huge portion of its population seems to be progressing at a snail's pace. Over a year has passed since the disaster, and little relief has reached the victims. A government in constant turmoil is the main culprit blamed by most reporters.
Whether the government is responsible or not, the fact remains that the majority of Haitian natives are still living in desperate conditions. As their suffering goes on day after day, they are beginning to lose hope for rebuilding their lives.
Already living far below the poverty level, the population could little bear the devastation dealt by the earthquake. With little agriculture or industry to provide jobs, living hand to mouth was the normal way of life. After the disaster, conditions became much worse.
Sheets of plastic stretched across sticks make up the most common form of housing for the majority of Haitians today. They are grouped together in what are called tent cities. The relentless sun makes them suffocatingly hot in the daytime. A short monsoon rain will wash them away in seconds. They provide no safety from individuals bent on doing personal harm. Criminals simply topple them or cut them away.
The lack of clean drinking water and safe sanitation facilities cause constant outbreaks of illness. The cholera outbreak which took more lives a few months after the earthquake still looms as a threat. Disease is rampant, and medical care personnel overloaded.
Simply clearing the rubble left behind by the earthquake has become a difficult and neglected task. Only a very small percentage of it has been removed.
In spite of global donations of money and workers, Haiti reconstruction has become a long and arduous process. World attention has been drawn away by more recent disasters. The misery, frustration, and fear for life of the average Haitian today is just as real and just as debilitating as it was in the days following the destruction of their country. Read more about: haiti Reconstruction
Whether the government is responsible or not, the fact remains that the majority of Haitian natives are still living in desperate conditions. As their suffering goes on day after day, they are beginning to lose hope for rebuilding their lives.
Already living far below the poverty level, the population could little bear the devastation dealt by the earthquake. With little agriculture or industry to provide jobs, living hand to mouth was the normal way of life. After the disaster, conditions became much worse.
Sheets of plastic stretched across sticks make up the most common form of housing for the majority of Haitians today. They are grouped together in what are called tent cities. The relentless sun makes them suffocatingly hot in the daytime. A short monsoon rain will wash them away in seconds. They provide no safety from individuals bent on doing personal harm. Criminals simply topple them or cut them away.
The lack of clean drinking water and safe sanitation facilities cause constant outbreaks of illness. The cholera outbreak which took more lives a few months after the earthquake still looms as a threat. Disease is rampant, and medical care personnel overloaded.
Simply clearing the rubble left behind by the earthquake has become a difficult and neglected task. Only a very small percentage of it has been removed.
In spite of global donations of money and workers, Haiti reconstruction has become a long and arduous process. World attention has been drawn away by more recent disasters. The misery, frustration, and fear for life of the average Haitian today is just as real and just as debilitating as it was in the days following the destruction of their country. Read more about: haiti Reconstruction