News
CECI Changes Lives in Haiti
January 11, 2019Nine years ago, on January 12, 2010, at 4:53 pm, Haiti was devastated by an unprecedented earthquake, which in just 35 seconds caused the deaths of more than 300,000 people, as well as the collapse of most buildings in downtown Port-au-Prince, including most public institutions.
CECI, which has been present in Haiti for more than 40 years, was one of the first organizations to swing into action to help victims. In order to respond effectively to the crisis, CECI relied on its in-depth knowledge of the field, as well as on an open collaboration with the population and the local authorities to maximize the effectiveness of the actions carried out. CECI was able to align its immediate humanitarian response with its development projects and long-term objectives.
Check out the summary of CECI’s interventions (in French) during the 18 months that followed the earthquake and the summary of our main interventions in recent years.
The "Emergency Haiti" campaign, which was launched by CECI in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, promptly raised more than $21 million (in cash and in kind). This amount was added to the $18 million invested in Haiti by CECI in 2009-2010 as part of its regular program. More than 750,000 people benefited from all our humanitarian actions. Between 2010 and 2012, CECI worked with 4 million people in total through all its projects, including development projects.
Haiti is a country at high risk for climate change, and the challenge for this country is to cope with increasingly frequent weather events, the intensity of which is also increasing, without significant loss of human life and property. Thus, since 2012, CECI has been active through initiatives promoting economic development, improving infrastructure and agricultural techniques, and adaptation to climate change. This is done through an approach of equality between women and men, and by promoting good governance.