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5 February 2010
Veronique, 73, is living in a tented city in Port-au-Prince after her home was destroyed in the quake. She has five grandchildren to support.
An assessment carried out in Haiti has found that older people are by far the most vulnerable group affected by the earthquake.
The survey, co-ordinated by the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Haitian government, backs up HelpAge International’s experience of older people being particularly at risk during emergencies because it is harder for them to go out and get aid.
Caring for children
Many older people in Haiti are also responsible for looking after young children, another vulnerable group identified in the assessment conducted by the Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC).
Veronique is 73 and living in a tented city in Port-au-Prince after her home was destroyed in the quake. She has five grandchildren to support.
She said: “I was in my house during the quake but the whole house was destroyed. I was sleeping there with five children. Before, I used to sell ‘Pepe’ [second-hand clothes]. I have managed to save some of my stock and must start selling it again to make some money.
“I am sleeping in a tent city in Port-au-Prince with my five grandchildren. I had two cousins that died in the earthquake. Everyone in our family has the same problems - all of us have children to care for.”
Reaching the most vulnerable
The HelpAge emergency team has been particularly concerned about the vulnerability of older people in nursing homes in Port-au-Prince. We have been working with local partners at the Municipal Nursing Home in the city, to try and improve conditions for the older people there.
The residents’ spirits are improving but difficulties persist. There is not enough water to wash their clothes and their dignity and privacy is compromised due to a lack of shelter.
Spontaneous camps are also encroaching onto the nursing home site, putting the older people at further risk.
We are working closely with the Director of the Municipal Home and the Mayor of Port-au-Prince to address these issues.
Challenging conditions
Aid efforts have been hampered by challenging conditions in the aftermath of the earthquake, such as damaged roads, lack of electricity and shortages of fuel and trucks.
However, aid is now getting through and we have packages of essential items for 1,000 people on their way from the Dominican Republic. This includes 1,000 mosquito nets – an item that was identified as a priority need by the IASC assessment.
Defining priorities
The report provides a quick and factual overview of the emergency situation in Haiti and makes initial estimates of what is needed. It means aid agencies can more accurately prioritise what is required in the relief effort.
The survey focused on population size and movements, as well as the availability of shelter and access to food and water.
A more detailed, conclusive report of the findings will be available next week.
Read more about the assessment on the UNFPA website.
How you can help
We urgently need more funds to help us get aid to those who really need it and to support longer-term relief.
If you are a UK citizen, please donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Haiti Earthquake Appeal now.
If you live outside the UK, you can donate to our Haiti relief efforts through:
Read more about our response to the Haiti earthquake emergency
