Haiti commemorates today the second anniversary of the devastating magnitude-7 earthquake that left 316,000 dead and 1.5 million homeless in the Caribbean country. The Haitian government is stepping up its resettlement campaign to resolve the problem of displacement, as many remain in makeshift camps and await the full reconstruction of their nation.

Venezuela was one of the first countries to deliver emergency assistance to Haiti after the devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010, and in the two years since, it has remained committed to helping rebuild Haiti by sending humanitarian aid workers, supplies, fuel, financial resources, and other types of aid.

Immediately after the earthquake, Venezuela sent 400 personnel to establish camps for the internally displaced in five towns: Jacmel, Petit Goave, Grand Goave, and Legoane. These camps served 5,413 families – over 25,000 individuals – and have been praised by NGOs as among the most well organized and supplied of all humanitarian camps in Haiti.

Now, Venezuela is helping give permanent homes to the displaced. Haitian President Martelly said in December that Venezuela has already helped build 4,000 new houses through the energy program PetroCaribe.

In December 2011, Venezuela sent an aerial shipment of 10 tons of food, water, clothing and other goods was sent to help victims of a cholera outbreak. In addition to this aid is the medical cooperation by Cuba and Venezuela, Venezuela’s supply of 14,000 barrels of oil per day to Haiti with preferential financing terms through PetroCaribe, and other commitments by President Chávez to continue helping the sister nation.

According to a recent TeleSUR interview with the Haitian president, Venezuela is the country that has offered the most aid to the Caribbean nation, which is the poorest in the hemisphere.

Haiti Continues its Struggle

News agencies reported Thursday that Haitians are holding solemn ceremonies at mass graves in remembrance of those that were killed in the earthquake, Haiti’s worst in history.

“There are a lot of pictures that have been put up at the ruins of the cathedral to remember the victims… Here there is a lot of emotion, people are arriving with flowers and walk by each one of the murals to see the faces of the fallen,” said Madelein García, Haiti correspondent for the Latin American news network TeleSUR.

She added that “there are currently 540,000 Haitians living in tents and this morning there was a protest march to speak out about the fact that reconstruction has not finished.”

For more information on Venezuela’s aid to Haiti, please see our new fact sheet.

TeleSUR / Press – Embassy of Venezuela to the U.S. / January 12, 2012