Hurricane Matthew: our emergency response
The most powerful Caribbean hurricane in nearly a decade has struck Haiti, one of the world's poorest countries. Torrential rains, storms and severe flooding have killed and injured many people, and destroyed homes and livelihoods.
Action Against Hunger has been working in Haiti for 30 years. Our emergency teams were able to respond within the first 24 hours of the disaster.
We are prioritising providing access to safe drinking water and latrines. This is vital because floodwaters and heavy rains contribute to deadly waterborne diseases as cholera, to which children are particularly vulnerable.
We are also preparing food distributions to families affected by this devastating crisis.
We are committed to helping the Haitian people recover from this disaster, today and in the long term.
Humanitarian context
Years of political instability and recurring natural disasters have had a devastating impact on the lives of people in Haiti. More than half of the country’s population live below the poverty line. For years, Haitians have lived in abject poverty and have had to gradually adapt to living in extremely difficult conditions.
Haiti is also prone to natural disasters and lies in the middle of the hurricane belt. Devastating cyclones have created serious humanitarian emergencies. The situation in rural areas is particularly worrying, with families struggling to access food and water, as well as basic services, such as health centres.
In January 2010, a major earthquake struck Haiti with devastating consequences. The capital city, Port-au-Prince, and its surrounding communities were heavily affected: more than 220,000 Haitians were killed, at least 400,000 were injured, and a staggering 1.2 million people were left homeless.
What we are doing
Present in Haiti for more than three decades, we responded immediately to the 2010 earthquake, setting up emergency water points, building latrines for more than 100,000 people in Port-au-Prince, and distributing more than five million water purification tablets to reduce the threat of waterborne diseases.
Four years after the earthquake, hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced and in urgent need of access to basic services. Present in Bombardopolis, Gonaives and Port-de-Paix, we continue to deliver vital family nutrition and health services, rehabilitating water points to provide people with daily access to clean drinking water.
Our wide-reaching public awareness campaigns share the importance of adequate hygiene and care practices and reduce the risk of future cholera outbreaks. We are also working in collaboration with the health authorities to improve health systems so malnourished children can receive the treatment they urgently require to regain their health.
