Rebuilding Haiti

Nearly three years after a major earthquake struck Haiti, the devastated country is still heavily dependent on foreign aid. Despite billions donated by the international community for earthquake relief, the lives of most Haitians have not significantly improved: Unemployment is at 40 percent, and most people live on less than $2 per day. Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the earthquake still live in filthy, dangerous tent camps or flimsy temporary shelters. The government of President Michel Martelly is vowing to attract foreign investors — with some success — and major international donors and lenders have been impressed with his efforts to reform and strengthen Haiti's economic system. Still, major reconstruction and economic development programs that would create thousands of jobs have been slow to materialize. Powerful forces are proving to be major obstacles, including a stubborn and deadly cholera epidemic and thousands of international charities that often undermine the government's ability to implement its long-term rebuilding plan.