Haiti Earthquake - Support to Host Communities - CECI 2010

12 September 2010 - Eight months after the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010 that killed an estimated 230 000 people and affected over 3 million the humanitarian situation in Haiti remains precarious. An estimated 1.3 million people remain displaced in over 1 300 spontaneous camps in the most-affected regions. Humanitarian actors continue to work to meet basic needs improve living conditions and mitigate the serious health and protection risks in these environments. Humanitarian actors are also responding to the growing needs in less-affected rural areas where over 600 000 displaced people are exhausting the meagre resources of fragile host communities. CIDA is supporting CECI (Center for Internaltional Studies and Cooperation) to provide emergency support for host communities struggling to meet the basic needs of families displaced by the earthquake. This support includes cash-for-work activities such as the rehabilitation of agricultural infrastructure and watersheds as well as timely financial support for women owning small businesses.