Six months on, Haiti earthquake victims wait for billions in aid

We are saw the Six months on, Haiti earthquake victims wait for billions in aid

We are saw the Six months on, Haiti earthquake victims wait for billions in aid
Reconstruction of earthquake ravaged buildings has virtually ground to a halt as aid is stalled. Photograph: Peter Beaumont for the Observer
The reconstruction of Haiti has virtually ground to a halt, six months after a devastating earthquake killed 230,000 people and made 1.5 million more homeless in the most impoverished country in the Americas.

Despite pledges of $5.3bn from the international community over the next two years to rebuild Haiti's ruined infrastructure, only a tiny fraction has so far been delivered, as aid agencies and donor countries complain that Haiti's government has not provided the necessary blueprint for recovery.

The reconstruction effort was described in a report by Senator John Kerry to Congress last month as "stalled" amid a lack of leadership and disagreements among donors and disorganisation. That verdict has been confirmed by a series of reports from major aid agencies, delivered in the last week ahead of the six-month anniversary tomorrow, painting a bleak picture of conditions in Haiti.

The British charity Save the Children, which has described the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti as the most challenging and complex emergency in its history, said last week: "Most people have little access to safe shelter, drinking water, electricity or healthcare."

It warned that, given the conditions that so many are still living in, a major storm in the hurricane season could spell another disaster for the country and its people, requiring a renewed surge of humanitarian aid. The complaints – both public and private – over the stalling of the recovery effort confirm the Observer's own observations in three trips to Haiti over five months.
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