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Haiti Humanitarian Needs Overview 2017

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HUMANITARIAN NEEDS & KEY FIGURES

Hurricane Matthew, which passed through Haiti on 4 October 2016, significantly impacted the country’s humanitarian situation, mainly in its southern peninsula. The hurricane affected 175,000 people gathered in collective centres, and 806,000 people were in dire need of life-saving multi-sectoral assistance. It damaged and destroyed infrastructures and people’s homes and livelihoods, and disrupted basic social services, mainly in rural areas. With only 46 per cent of the $139 million Flash Appeal funded for the urgent response until the end of December 2016, hurricane-related needs will remain acute in 2017. Before the hurricane, humanitarian needs throughout the country were already quite significant, notably due to the cholera epidemic, the El-Niño-induced drought, the bi-national migration crisis, and the internally displaced persons (IDPs) following the 2010 earthquake. The hurricane added, and exacerbated existing needs. As a result, it is estimated that 750,000 people will require food assistance and 200,000 farmer households will need agricultural assistance, countrywide in 2017. Partners prepare for approximately 30,000 cholera cases, 1.65 million people requiring immediate community response during cholera outbreaks, and an cholera oral vaccination campaign, bringing the total number of people in need to 2.2 million. The bi-national migration crisis continues to affect populations on both sides of the Haiti–Dominican Republic border, with over 154,000 people reported to have crossed the border into Haitian territory from June 2015 to November 2016, and many remaining at risk of statelessness, smuggling and trafficking in persons. Returnees need assistance, in particular protection support. Nearly seven years after the earthquake, about 55,100 IDPs continue living in 31 camps, mainly in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. They still lack options to leave camps, have poor access to basic services, and are among the most vulnerable persons in the country. Overall, humanitarian partners estimate that nearly 2.7 million Haitians will need humanitarian assistance in 2017.

1. Post-Matthew lifesaving assistance and basic services
Despite response efforts related to Hurricane Matthew in 2016, lifesaving, multi-sectoral assistance will be required in 2017 given the hurricane’s devastating impact, mainly in Grand’Anse, Sud and Nippes departments. Affected people, including 175,000 people who took refuge in 307 collective shelters, have seen their homes and livelihoods destroyed. Approximately 525,000 people need shelter assistance at their place of origin. They also urgently need the resumption of basic services while integrating the conservation of local ecosystems and the anticipation of future risks.

2. Cholera will remain a serious threat for the most vulnerable Haitians in 2017. While the number of cholera cases and deaths has decreased since the 2010 outbreak, 35,203 cases and 369 deaths were registered from January to October 2016, countrywide. This represents a 32 and 56 per cent increase, respectively, in comparison to the same period in 2015. Due to Hurricane Matthew, the number of suspected cholera cases increased, in particular in the most affected departments. People’s low access to safe water and sanitation keeps them highly vulnerable to cholera.

3. Restore community dignity through emergency livelihood recovery
Relief and early recovery together make up the humanitarian response. With close to 1 million people in need of immediate stabilization of their livelihoods, an early recovery approach is essential to ensure an integrated and coordinated response to addresses underlying causes of dependency, increase community resilience and coping capacities, to help avoid prolonged dependency and strengthen the humanitarian-development nexus. Hence strengthening national and local actor’s capacities and supporting immediate livelihoods stabilization is a time critical component of crisis response and initial recovery.

4. Protection of displaced and people with specific needs and most at risk
Protection needs are high, in particular for the returnees and deported people from the Dominican Republic, the people affected by Hurricane Matthew - including the 175,000 people who took refuge in collective centres - and the 55,100 IDPs since the 2010 earthquake. These populations lack access to basic services, including to safe water and sanitation. Children, elderly, women and singleheaded households are particularly exposed to abuse, exploitation and violence, including sexual and genderbased violence.

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