What We're Doing in Haiti

Five days after the earthquake the survivors of the quake are displaced from their homes and living in open public areas, such as parks, or in vacant lots and unused space around the city. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is focusing on health, clean water, sanitation, psychosocial support and job creation.

The team is comprised of experts from around the world — coming from Africa, Asia, and North America — who have responded to devastating disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the Sichuan earthquake in China and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.

Mercy Corps is focusing on the immediate humanitarian needs on the ground — water, food, temporary shelter supplies and much more. As the most basic needs are met, Mercy Corps’ response team will transition from relief to long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts.

We are focusing on these three critical areas:

Health, clean water, and sanitation

Mercy Corps is helping survivors access vital clean water and sanitation services, through collaboration with two partners.

Psychosocial support

Mercy Corps will provide post-trauma help to kids using Comfort for Kids, a counselling methodology developed by Mercy Corps and Bright Horizons, a global workplace childcare provider. Mercy Corps has used Comfort for Kids to help children process post-emergency trauma everywhere from Darfur to Gaza.

Job creation

Mercy Corps will initiate some form of cash-for-work in Haiti, paying earthquake survivors a daily wage to clear debris, restore buildings and repair basic infrastructure. In post-tsunami Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Mercy Corps employed thousands through cash-for-work, enabling entire communities to rebuild, work together, and have the dignity of earning their own money and getting their economies back on track.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, is plagued by hunger and political instability. This disaster has drastically increased the needs of families who had little to lose in the first place.

Donate to our Haiti Earthquake Fund