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New hope for Haiti six months after the earthquake
09 July 2010  Children playing, a new hope for Haiti six months after the earthquake Introduction By His Eminence Óscar Andrés Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga, S.D.B., Caritas Internationalis President Half a year after the earthquake in Haiti, the most pressing emergency is over. Our priority in the first months was to get food, sanitation and shelter to hundreds of thousands of people in need. Now, we also need to focus on reconstruction. Millions have been affected, many have lost family members. Schools, homes and lives need to be rebuilt. It is important not to forget about Haiti now. Haiti caught the world’s attention after what the UN called the worst disaster it ever confronted in its 65-year-old history. Before, the country and its extreme poverty had been largely forgotten. It is deplorable that it took an earthquake of this scale to make the world see the scandal that was Haiti. So far, Caritas has helped more than 2.3 million people with shelter, food, healthcare and other emergency needs. I feel very proud of what the Caritas confederation, joining church efforts in Haiti, was able to achieve. We are present not only in and around the capital Port-au-Prince with its many makeshift camps, but also in rural areas. Many people are still dependent on emergency food aid and shelter. [Read about the response of Caritas]
Our Caritas health centres in Haiti for instance are now needed more than ever as many organisations have left, the first emergency being over. Some people need long-term rehabilitation or check-ups for the injuries they suffered from in the earthquake, a lot of others just come for general treatment. It is the first time many Haitian have access to treatment at all. We now have a chance to build a better Haiti. We cannot avoid other earthquakes and natural disaster in Haiti and in other parts of the world, but we can help the Haitians rebuild. It must be the Haitians themselves who are leading reconstruction efforts. Success depends upon it. It is not enough to patch the wounds this country has suffered from. This reconstruction should bring new hope to Haiti based on solidarity and justice. Read how Caritas addresses the five needs in Haiti six months after the earthquake:
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