Canada in Haiti: Results that speak for themselves

The Government of Canada is on track to disburse more than $1 billion (2006-2012), making Haiti the largest beneficiary of development assistance in the Americas. This contribution is reflected in the results achieved through more than 130 projects supported by CIDA and executed by Canadian and international organizations. Below are some examples of these results under CIDA's priority themes in Haiti. A full list of projects can be found on CIDA's Project Browser and Open Data site.

Summary of Canada's financial contributions

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Stimulating Sustainable Economic Growth: CIDA projects have helped lay the foundations for an enabling business environment, strengthened skills for employment, and increased revenues and access to microfinance in Haiti.

• More than 397,000 Haitians are now receiving financial services as members of a network of 47 credit unions. This network is stimulating Haiti's economy by providing small and medium-sized businesses with access to credit.
• 400,000 people increased their incomes and their food security as a result of efforts to revitalize agricultural production in Haiti.
• 1,700 Haitian companies now have access to a Web portal that encourages international organizations to purchase their goods and services from local suppliers, thus helping to create jobs and increase revenues for Haitian businesses.
• More than 170,000 residents of Jacmel and Les Cayes now receive approximately 17 to 19 hours/day of electricity. These increases in the availability of electricity enable economic activity and are helping raise the standard of living for residents.
• More than one million Haitians have benefited from cash-for-work programs that support Haiti's post-earthquake reconstruction.

Securing the Future of Children and Youth: CIDA-funded initiatives have helped increase access to basic education, reinforced maternal, newborn and child health, and strengthened children's rights.

• More than one million children and youth have been vaccinated against polio, measles, and rubella.
• 330,000 pregnant women delivered their babies in a health institution with the assistance of qualified personnel. The number of institutions offering free obstetrical care increased from 41 to 63 across eight provinces in Haiti.
• Seven community health groups have been established in the Artibonite province, providing 220,800 individuals with access to health services and serving a total population of more than 1.5 million.
• 19,000 people received health care, thanks to the building of an earthquake-resistant health centre in Trouin and the rebuilding of the Cardinal Léger Hospital in Léogâne.
• 50,000 Port-au-Prince residents benefited from a waste treatment program.
• 90 percent of displaced persons in Port-au-Prince had access to medical care.
• 40,000 children received access to quality basic education via tuition waivers.
• 24,000 children in camps for displaced persons were registered in Haiti's civil registry and received a national identity card.

Increasing Food Security: CIDA interventions have helped increase food production and have improved crop diversification and marketing, providing Haitians with better access to nutritious, higher-quality food.

• 400,000 girls and boys received a daily meal at school, improving their learning and health outcomes.
• 80,000 Haitian families received agricultural tools and seeds that enabled them to produce a more diverse and nutritious range of crops for the market and for household consumption.
• 130 community gardens were established, improving the quality and quantity of local produce.
• 11 irrigation systems were built and nearly 800 farmers have been trained by agricultural organizations in their region.

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CIDA-supported projects also achieved important results in our three cross-cutting themes in Haiti.

Helping to Strengthen Governance

• Since 2008, 4.8 million people (about 85 percent of Haiti's adult population) have been registered in Haiti's civil registry and have received a secure national identification card which is used for employment, banking, receiving essential government services, and voting in elections.
• CIDA supported the construction of temporary offices for key Haitian government ministries following the 2010 earthquake, providing working office space for 300 government personnel.
• 72 experts provided support and advice to key Haitian government ministries, including the Ministry of Planning and External Relations.
• As a result of technical support provided to electoral institutions, electoral lists were created and revised for 4.7 million voters, more than 11,000 polling stations were equipped―representing the entire electoral map―and 35,000 people were trained.

Promoting Equality Between Women and Men

• Working with Haiti's Ministry for the Status of Women and other partners, CIDA is increasing initiatives to counter violence against women and girls, including special services for victims of violence.
• Hundreds of Haitian women have been trained to teach more than 4,700 families how to plant and maintain organic vegetable gardens.

Increasing Environmental Sustainability

• A local project is using biodigesters to transform urban neighbourhood toilet waste into bio-gas, providing a sustainable fuel source for community kitchens and reducing the demand for firewood. Treated wastewater is similarly redirected to irrigate community gardens and fish farms that produce local food.
• Important steps were taken to prevent erosion and flooding in two regions of Haiti. 200,000 trees were planted, 240 metres of riverbank were cleaned, 9,600 cuttings of elephant grass and 4,000 bamboo trees were planted. A 60-metre irrigation canal was constructed and more than 100 hundred farmers were trained in seed reproduction.

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Humanitarian Assistance: As a result of the January 12, 2010 earthquake CIDA contributed $150.15 million in immediate humanitarian assistance funding to help national and international partners respond to the needs of Haiti's earthquake victims.

• 4.3 million Haitians received emergency food assistance.
• 1.3 million people had daily access to safe drinking water.
• Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people, including 158,000 pregnant women and 395,000 children, received supplementary food rations.
• 370,000 families were given temporary shelter.
• 1 million people were immunized to prevent the spread of diseases.
• 75,000 people were provided with access to latrines, washing facilities, and safe drinking water.
• 42,000 children received basic hygiene kits.
• 8,700 transitional housing units were built in Port-au-Prince, Léogâne, and Jacmel.
• 85 percent of the affected population was provided with access to cholera treatment and/or cholera treatment centres.

Canada also responded to Government of Haiti housing and debris management priorities via the Haiti Reconstruction Fund, resulting in the removal of more than half of the rubble and the relocation of two thirds of the displaced population.