What You Need To Know About Haiti's Crisis In 2024

Haiti currently faces a multifaceted humanitarian crisis. This crisis, deeply rooted in political, environmental, and social factors, presents profound challenges for the Haitian people and the international community. Understanding the root causes – from the relentless cycle of political turmoil and economic strife to the devastating impact of natural disasters and pervasive security issues – is essential to effectively address the immediate and long-term needs. This article aims to dissect these complex issues, offering insight into the dire situation in Haiti and exploring potential pathways for assistance and recovery.

What are the root causes of the current crisis in Haiti?

The recent history of Haiti shows us that there are plenty of reasons for a humanitarian crisis.

The first of many would be that there is significant political turmoil. Haiti has experienced a high turnover in political leadership. This has led to a lack of consistent and effective governance. The constant changes have resulted in shifts throughout their policies and priorities. How can a government create a healthy nation that focuses on the long-term health and success of its people if there is no stability? Strong institutions have yet to be developed due to the frequent political upheaval. All areas of the government have suffered: judicial, public services, and law enforcement. Public services are needed when it comes to social stability. Along with the rapid changes in governments there has also been corruption. This leads to public distrust and can cause problems in administration and the distribution of how resources are used for the people.

The second cause we can see is natural disasters. Haiti has suffered time and time again from this. Haiti is located in a seismically active area. This makes it more susceptible to intense and extremely destructive earthquakes. The earthquake in 2010 destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure and cost them many lives. The country is also located in an area that is prone to hurricanes and flooding. With hurricanes, there is city damage and lives lost, but creates long-term issues such as ruining land that is focused on agriculture.

The third cause would be security issues. With such a lack of healthy governance, security issues tend to occur. There is tremendous gang activity in much of the area. These gangs partake in kidnappings and territorial control. This leads to many of the Haitians living life in fear as their daily lives are disrupted and economic prosperity seems dim. The presence of gangs and the resulting violence hinders humanitarian aid. It becomes dangerous for aid workers to operate in certain areas.

Protesters in Haiti on October 3rd, 2022.
Odelyn Joseph/AP

The last cause would be health and food insecurity. Since there is not enough funding or proper administration of resources, healthcare is severely lacking. The healthcare system in Haiti is under-resourced and overwhelmed. They are lacking in both facilities and trained healthcare professionals. This limits access to basic healthcare services that everyone needs from childbirth to death. There have also been outbreaks of diseases like cholera. This occurred from a tangential issue – poor water and an improper sanitation infrastructure. Agriculture has been an issue with government turnovers as well as natural disasters. Natural disasters specifically damage agricultural land and disrupt food production, leading to food shortages and increased reliance on food imports. Due to food insecurity, there are huge reports of malnutrition. Many children suffer from this.

All of the causes create an economic mess in the nation. There is poverty everywhere, unemployment, and barely any healthy economic prosperity.

What are the immediate and long-term humanitarian needs of the Haitian people? What should be done to aid Haiti?

The humanitarian needs of the Haitian people are important but realistically there needs to be a focus on what needs to be done now, and what can be a project in the long run.

Looking at immediate needs, we can see that security and protection are vital. There need to be immediate steps to ensure safety and protection from violence. This involves reducing gang activity and kidnappings. Fear is not a part of prosperity. Shelter and basic supplies for living are another immediate need. All those who have suffered from gang violence and natural disasters need to have shelter available. Once that is fixed then basic supplies for living such as food and clean water need to be taken care of. Food would handle the malnutrition problem amongst the Haitian population. Medical care and health services would be the last immediate issues left. There needs to be stable medical care for injuries from the violence and disasters as well as any diseases that have spread (ranging from cholera to COVID-19).

Once all those needs are resolved or entities are attempting to resolve them, then long-term projects should be done. First and foremost has to be a stable government and law enforcement. Establishing effective governance and the rule of law is crucial for peace and security in the long term. There needs to be a way to make sure that the violence does not come back at such volume. Then there needs to be economic growth. Initiatives with other countries are a great start. Jobs need to be created, which also reduces poverty. Some of the jobs can consist of healthcare systems and infrastructure development. Disaster preparedness in a country like Haiti is wildly important as well.

Addressing all the humanitarian needs requires a coordinated approach involving the Haitian government, international organizations, NGOs, and the local communities. It’s a complex task that demands sustainable actions, not quick temporary fixes.