Haiti's botched reconstruction: By the numbers
Over $5 billion of aid pledged, but only 2 percent delivered. Five months after the earthquake, Haiti's reconstruction appears stalled
The rebuilding of earthquake-ravaged Haiti has all but ground to a halt, according to a leaked report by Sen. John Kerry. Poor leadership, disputes among donors, and general disorganization are delaying crucial projects, as millions of Haitians remain sheltered in tents five months after the quake, the report says. And hurricane season threatens to set things back further. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton, along with Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, last week inaugurated the commission overseeing reconstruction spending, promising to speed up the work. But the leaked report made clear the task is daunting. (Watch an AFP report about Haiti's reconstruction.) Here are some of the numbers surrounding Haiti's stalled reconstruction:
$5.3 billion
"Near-term" humanitarian aid pledged by private donors, charities and countries
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$106 million
Amount of near-term aid actually delivered, five months after the quake (2 percent of the money pledged)
$40 million
Amount that came from Brazil, the only country to deliver its entire pledge so far
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$2 billion
Amount pledged by U.S., to be debated by Congress later this month
$10 billion
Approximate total amount of aid pledged, including long-term donations to be paid out over the next decade
26
Number of people on Bill Clinton's reconstruction commission. Kerry's report says the well-staffed panel could "dramatically slow things down through cumbersome bureaucratic obstacles."
18 months
Amount of time in which the $5.3 billion near-term funds overseen by Clinton's commission must be allocated
$500,000
Maximum donation that doesn't fall under the Clinton commission's control. Every donation above $500,000 must be approved by the commission, with Haitian President Rene Preval wielding veto power
1.5 million
Number of Haitians still living under tents and tarpaulins five months after the quake
700,000
Number of people who left Port-au-Prince after the quake and are currently living elsewhere in the country
105,000
Number of homes destroyed by the earthquake. 1,300 schools and 50 hospitals also need rebuilding
25
Percentage of Haiti's civil servants who died in the January quake. Having lost so many of its employees, says Haiti expert Robert Maguire, the government "needs very much to become stronger and to reinstitute itself" if rebuilding is going to succeed.
Sources: Associated Press (2, 3), PBS, Miami Herald
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