August 14 earthquake: 1 year after the socio-economic crisis persists

The economic crisis persists in Haiti a year after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that the country suffered and killed more than 2,200 people, the NGO Save the Children recalled on Thursday.

On August 14, 2021, the strong earthquake, whose epicenter was located about 150 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince, shook the Tiburón peninsula, killing 800,000 people, including 340,000 minors, and worsening the humanitarian crisis that the country was already suffering.

“Over the past twelve months, we have seen a worrying trend of increasing hunger across the country, a fact that is becoming a big challenge for children and their families, for whom more help is needed,” said Perpetue Vendredi, director of program operations for Save the Children, in a statement.

Need for international cooperation

Despite an estimated 4.5 million people in severe food insecurity in Haiti, 100,000 more than before the earthquake, Vendredi noted that “the humanitarian response remains woefully underfunded because this crisis has been largely ignored as other world events have taken over”.

With inflation at 26%, many families have difficulty accessing basic commodities and food, and as in all food crises, children are the most vulnerable to hunger, so aid must focus on this group. so that he is not at risk of malnutrition.

The Director of Programs assured that “in addition to increasing funds for immediate life-saving services, donors must continue to invest in early warning and prevention actions to better manage the risks of crisis from the crisis. hunger and mitigate their impacts before it is too late”.