Haiti, One Year On: Helping Haitians recover

More than 2,000 people have been put to work in Port-au-Prince through an IRC cash-for-work program.

Photo: Gerald Martone/IRC

Just before 5pm on January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Haiti about 10 miles southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince.  It killed approximately 230,000 people and left another 1.3 million homeless. The International Rescue Committee quickly established emergency operations. In the last year, our mission has grown to include health care, child welfare, economic recovery and development, and programs to combat violence against women.

The IRC provides direct support to nearly 100,000 people in 30 camps.  This week we are sharing daily updates on one aspect of our work in Haiti. Today — a snapshot of our work in economic recovery and development:

• More than 2,000 Haitians have been put to work rebuilding infrastructure in Port-au-Prince and Leogane through an IRC cash-for-work program.


• The IRC provides technical expertise, tools, construction materials, and other resources to workers building more permanent camp facilities in preparation for jobs in the building trades as the recovery moves forward.


• Women have equal access to employment opportunities in all IRC-sponsored projects and these opportunities are not limited by traditional gender roles.

To learn more about the IRC's work in Haiti and how to help, visit our Crisis Watch report at Rescue.org/haiti.