One year after a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Haiti, and three weeks before the beginning of a new academic year, more than 250,000 children do not have access to adequate schools, UNICEF warned today.
Reconstruction, which has been delayed by insecurity and lack of funds, is still underway and may take years to complete. Of the 1,250 schools that were destroyed or damaged by the earthquake, the majority still have not been rebuilt.
“Schools are more than places of learning, they are safe havens for children traumatized by a succession of events: the COVID-19 pandemic, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, and pervasive insecurity and poverty,” said Bruno Maes, UNICEF Representative in Haiti.
On 14 August 2021, a massive earthquake hit the departments of South, Nippes and Grand'Anse, killing 2,200 people and injuring 12,200 others.
1,250 schools, 97 health facilities and 55 water systems were destroyed or damaged, leaving over 340,000 children without adequate educational conditions and 800,000 people without access to healthcare, drinking water or hygiene services.