Two years after quake, 'Haiti still has a long way to go'

Two years after Haiti's devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake, about 550,000 people are still living in tent camps and five million cubic metres of rubble remain strewn across the ground.

But those overwhelming numbers don't tell the whole story, says a UNICEF report released Monday. The report, called "Children of Haiti: Two years after," describes a country on the cusp of "a period of stability" -- no small claim for an impoverished nation that had seen its share of turbulence well before the 2010 disaster struck.

"There's this beginning of a sense of optimism," UNICEF Canada president David Morley told CTVNews.ca on Friday. "There's so far to go, but there's a positive change absolutely."

The quake, with an epicentre about 25 kilometres west of capital Port-au-Prince, struck at about 5 p.m. local time on Jan. 12, 2010, killing more than 300,000 Haitians and leaving 1.6 million people homeless. Relief workers quickly flooded the shell-shocked country and donations poured into aid groups across the globe.

But rebuilding a society from rubble proved to be no small task.

"They lost one year's (gross domestic product) in 45 seconds," said Morley. "It was the poorest place in the Americas before the earthquake and it's not just going to change just like that."

His organization's report is more blunt in its assessment of the state of the long-suffering country, which has seen dozens of military coups over its history, experiencing its first peaceful transfer of power between civilian governments in 1996.

"With a long history of political strife and unrest, Haiti still has a long way to go in creating a vibrant economy and social welfare system," it says.

"The country, overall, remains a fragile state that requires strong and steadfast accompaniment to overcome the chronic poverty and under-development, deep rural and urban disparities and weak institutions that leave children vulnerable to shocks and the impact of disaster… Serious gaps and inadequacies in Haiti's basic governance structures remain."

According to the agency's figures, 58 per cent of the country's population is younger than 24 years old. About 50 per cent of youth attend school, a number Morley celebrates as a triumph as it matches pre-earthquake levels. His goal for two years is to see that number go up to 80 per cent.

It's a hope he seems to share with Haitian President Michel Martelly, who has been working to increase state funding to schools to allow more children to attend primary education for free. Plans to tax money sent to Haitians from abroad and incoming cellphone calls are among creative revenue sources the government is examining for its education expansion.

Significant developments have also been made in child welfare, said Morley. Before the earthquake, there was little regulation for residential child care centres that house numerous children, and some were in extremely poor condition.

"Prior to the earthquake, the government did not know how many children were living in institutions, or where they even were," states the report.

"If anything good has come out of this disaster, it might be that some of those awful situations that existed before have been laid bare," Morley added. "Haitians and foreigners are saying it is unacceptable that children should live in this way."

Looking forward, the country still faces the challenges of finding housing for half a million people, broadening access to education even further and reviving the economy, but Morley says there are plenty of places to look for inspiration.

The country is less controlled by gangs than it was five years ago, its democracy has been invigorated by the election of a popularly-supported president, and its youth appear to be more engaged than ever in keeping the country on the right path, he said. Further, he pointed to a recent increase in foreign investment to show he's not the only one optimistic about the country's near-future prospects.

"It's a sure sign of increased stability. The private sector doesn't invest if it thinks it's going to lose money.

"When I look at what my colleagues and friends have been able to do in two years working on top of a file of rubble, it's phenomenal," Morley added. "Now, that rubble is starting to leave… And things are really going to take off."