Thanks.
Until yesterday I was the country representative of the Canadian Red Cross in Haiti. The year 2010 in Haiti reminds me a bit of the old country and western song that went “If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have luck at all”. Haiti was hit by an earthquake, a cholera outbreak, political instability, and a hurricane as well. The word “resilient” does not even come close to describing the Haitian people.
Haiti was experiencing problems long before the earthquake, and this catastrophe did nothing to help things. In fact, 80% of the population lives on less than $2 a day. It is impossible to travel around the country without being struck by this devastating poverty. The statistics on access to drinking water, education and health care are shocking. But we must not give up and say that there is nothing we can do.
Since January 12, over one million emergency relief items have been delivered by the Red Cross. From January on--and yes, this process is ongoing--2.5 million litres of safe drinking water have been produced daily. To put that into perspective, this is the same as providing 20 litres of water every day to every one of your constituents in your respective ridings here.
Access to medical treatment was an immediate need after the earthquake and continues to be a priority of the Red Cross. To date, more than 216,000 people have received care at a Red Cross facility.
The Red Cross movement responded quickly and effectively in the emergency phase immediately after the earthquake. We have delivered millions of litres of water, tens of thousands of hygiene kits, and hundreds of thousands of units of plastic sheeting and tents. To date, we have built close to 6,000 temporary hurricane and earthquake-resistant shelters.
I would like to clarify something about the distribution of water. After the first few cases of cholera appeared, we were particularly afraid that the displaced persons camp would be the hardest hit, but thanks in particular to a massive distribution of water, which is continuing to this day, and to a considerable awareness and prevention campaign by Red Cross volunteers, the impact of cholera in the displaced persons camps was reduced considerably.
The Canadian Red Cross is putting a lot of its resources into shelters, working primarily in the regions of Jacmel and Leogane. We have committed to building 7,500 shelters and have built over 1,200 so far. That means that more than 6,000 people are no longer living in tents, thanks to Canadian donations. We are picking up steam, and we'll be finished with construction by early fall.
The shelters we are building are sturdy, earthquake resistant, hurricane resistant shelters that can house an average-size family of five people. We are also working with partners to provide water and sanitation access in the communities where we are building shelters. The idea is to provide basic shelter to families who lost their houses in the earthquake but to also help rebuild communities around them.
Shelter is, and will remain, one of the greatest challenges facing the Haitian people. Ensuring that the Haitian people are moved out of temporary shelters and into more permanent homes will continue to usurp large amounts of time and money from international actors. Currently there are approximately 800,000 Haitians living in temporary shelters. It is estimated that a year from now there will still be 400,000.
Shelter difficulties are about more than just walls and cement. Land ownership rights are an impediment to providing the help needed. The Canadian government has an opportunity to advocate strongly for clear and fair land assessments by the Haitian government. This is essential to moving forward with both public and private reconstruction.
Our second-biggest investment is in the health care system. We are working with many partners to move this forward. We've committed to helping rebuild the Saint Michel hospital in Jacmel. We are also rebuilding clinics and are providing community-based health programs, which will be centred in the southeast of the country. We are implementing programs that are sustainable. We expect to work in Haiti for the next five to ten years.
We are also working on small-scale mitigation projects for reducing natural disaster risks in communities. We are also doing gender-based violence prevention.
And lastly, we are working very closely with the Haitian Red Cross to strengthen its abilities so it can become a more solid organization for supporting Haiti’s communities now and in the years to come. The Haitian Red Cross, like the Canadian Red Cross, is an important partner for public authorities, and it is our responsibility to become a stronger organization so it can come to the aid of its fellow citizens in moments of crisis.
I will now pass the remarks over to Susan.