In the beginning of September 2008, Haiti was hit by two hurricanes which killed thousands, left tens of thousands homeless, and threatened the lives and livelihoods of millions more. Mudslides and flooded rivers buried entire towns beneath as much as 15 feet of water and left over 15 million cubic meters of mud behind.

Haiti was ill prepared to cope. It’s the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Three-quarters of the population live on less than US $2 a day and a fifth of children are malnourished.

Caritas launched appeals for the immediate relief and a longer-term reconstruction effort. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Caritas could provide food rations, clean up schools and homes, help people build shelters, and provide scholarships to children so they could go to school.

These are stories of Caritas beneficiaries and two photo galleries from Haiti one year later:

Back in class

Caritas beneficiary Junor Hesgazons is in class thanks to support he received through Caritas Haiti. Caritas paid three months of his school fees so that Junor and hundreds of other youth affected by the storms could return to school while their parents recovered economically. Read more of his story...
Schools re-opened

Once buried in several feet of mud by flooding that followed Hurricanes Gustav, Ike and Hanna, the schools of Gonaives, Haiti, are again largely clear of mud, thanks in part to large scale Cash For Work projects run by Caritas Haiti. View photo gallery of schools that have reopened after the hurricanes
Moving on

Rolande Jean and her family of eight weathered the effects of Hurricane Ike in 2008, but their house - just meters from the edge of the sea in southern Haiti - was heavily damaged. Through Caritas Haiti, Jean received cement and tin roofing sheets to help rehabilitate her home. Read more of her story...
Rebuilding Haiti

Rebuilding in the wake of Hurricanes Ike, Hanna and Gustav in 2008. Caritas Haiti provides help to rehabilitate homes. View photo gallery on Caritas rebuilding effort in Haiti
Haiti through a lens
 
David Snyder returned to Haiti to photograph the progress being made in the wake of the hurricanes. He writes a blog entry on his journey there. Read his entry on Caritas Blog.