Fact Sheet #3

Fiscal Year (FY) 2023

Haiti – Complex Emergency

JANUARY 24, 2023

SITUATION AT A GLANCE

11.4 5.2 4.7 3 25,803

MILLION MILLION MILLION MILLION
Estimated People in Need People Projected to People Targeted for Suspected
Population of Humanitarian Face Acute Food Humanitarian Cholera Cases
w of Haiti Assistance Insecurity Through Assistance
February
UN – March 2022 UN – November 2022 IPC – October 2022 UN – November 2022 GoH – January 2023

• On January 24, USAID announced $56.5 million

in additional humanitarian assistance for the
people of Haiti in response to increasing
humanitarian needs and the country’s ongoing
cholera epidemic.

• Haiti’s cholera epidemic persists, with the GoH

MSPP confirming more than 1,900 cases from
October 2 to January 22. The MSPP had
administered more than 844,000 oral cholera
vaccines to people in Ouest and Centre
departments as of January 18.

• More than 155,000 people remained displaced

due to violence in Port-au-Prince as of late
November, marking a nearly 80 percent increase
since August.

• More than 4.7 million Haitians are estimated

to face Crisis—IPC 3—or worse levels of
acute food insecurity due to OCG-imposed
commercial and humanitarian access
constraints, poor macroeconomic conditions,
and reduced agricultural production.

TOTAL USAID HUMANITARIAN FUNDING USAID/BHA1 $56,506,457

For complete funding breakdown with partners, see detailed chart on page 7 Total $56,506,457
1 USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
USAID/BHA Announces More Than $56 Million in Additional Assistance
USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman announced an additional $56.5 million in USAID/BHA funding
for the people of Haiti on January 24 in response to the country’s humanitarian crisis and cholera epidemic.
Deteriorating security conditions—as a result of increased organized criminal group (OCG) violence—in
Haiti have hindered vulnerable communities’ access to food, fuel, safe drinking water, and other essential
supplies since July. This funding will help humanitarian partners meet the urgent needs of nearly 869,000
people across Haiti by supporting distribution of food assistance, medical supplies, and safe drinking water.
The new assistance will also bolster health facility operations, including supplies for cholera treatment
centers, which are critical to treat cases and slow the spread of the disease. Furthermore, amid increasing
protection risks in Haiti associated with widespread OCG violence, USAID/BHA partners will also expand
gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and protection response services for at-risk populations.

USAID/BHA deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Haiti in mid-October, which has
supported the provision of life-saving food assistance to approximately 144,500 people and transported more
than 300 metric tons (MT) of health and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) supplies into the country for
partners combating cholera. Since 2021, USAID/BHA has provided more than $228 million in life-saving
assistance and earthquake recovery, risk reduction, and resilience programming to support the humanitarian
response in Haiti.

Cholera Vaccinatio n Campaign Continues Amid Increasing Cases

Haiti’s cholera epidemic persists, with the Government of Haiti (GoH) Ministry of Public Health and
Population (MSPP) confirming more than 1,900 out of approximately 25,800 suspected cholera cases and
511 associated deaths between October 4 and January 15. The cholera case fatality rate (CFR) has
remained at approximately 2 percent since November, which continues to exceed the UN World Health
Organization (WHO) emergency CFR threshold of 1 percent. The epidemic has disproportionately
affected children ages nine years and younger who have consistently comprised nearly 40 percent of
suspected cases since October, according to the MSPP. Meanwhile, the concentration of daily new
suspected cholera cases has shifted from Ouest Department—where Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-
Prince is located—to outlying communes and departments of Haiti. Nearly 70 percent of all suspected
cholera cases were located in Ouest Department as of mid-January, compared to 90 percent in
December. From January 10 to 16, suspected cholera cases increased by nearly 140 percent in Nord-Est
Department, more than 70 percent in Sud Department, 60 percent in Nord-Ouest Department, and
approximately 20 percent in Nippes Department, compared to a 1.5 percent increase in Ouest during
the same timeframe, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reports.

In response to the countrywide cholera epidemic, the MSPP, in coordination with health actors, had
administered more than 844,000 oral cholera vaccines to people in Ouest and Centre Departments
since beginning the vaccination campaign on December 19, PAHO reports. To support the initial phase
of the campaign, the MSPP and relief actors deployed approximately 2,300 vaccination teams to
communities in Centre and Ouest departments during December, according to the UN Children’s Fund
(UNICEF). Additionally, with USAID/BHA support, the GoH Directorate General of Civil Protection
provided approximately 1,300 cholera kits—comprising buckets, personal protective equipment, soap,
and water purification tablets—to an estimated 6,500 people in Port-au-Prince and Sud between
October and December.

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Displacement in Po rt-au-Prince Increases by 77 Percent
More than 155,000 people—39,600 households—remained displaced in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan
area as of late November, marking a 77 percent increase compared to the 87,900 internally displaced
persons (IDPs) recorded in the area in August, according to the International Organization for Migration
(IOM). The UN agency attributes the increase to heightened OCG violence—including abductions,
armed attacks, and destruction of property—throughout Port-au-Prince, where OCG’s exert effective
control over an estimated 60 percent of territory, according to IOM and the UN. Three-quarters of all
IDPs in Port-au-Prince reside within host communities, while the remaining population resides in
crowded, informal displacement sites in unsanitary conditions without access to basic services. Ouest’s
Carrefour, Delmas, and Port-au-Prince communes contained the three highest IDP populations in Haiti,
with more than 60 percent of the IDP caseload—approximately 98,000 people—residing in these areas
as of late November.

IDPs were sheltering in approximately 20 schools throughout the Port-au-Prince area as of late
November, preventing these facilities from reopening for the start of the school year, according to IOM.
Such improvised sites are not equipped to handle large influxes of people, and WASH conditions are
poor due to a lack of latrines and handwashing stations, increasing the risk of disease such as cholera,
the UN reports. Furthermore, the UN has recorded cases of GBV in IDP sites and organized urgent
medical assistance for survivors, however, cases of GBV are likely underreported while OCG activities
and high transportation costs severely limit travel, restricting survivors’ access to necessary medical
care.

Relatedly, a fire of unknown origin occurred at an informal displacement site in Delmas on January 17,
destroying 32 shelters and resulting in the secondary displacement of approximately 60 IDPs, IOM
reports. Three children were burned during the fire and subsequently hospitalized. Humanitarian access
to the nearly 39,500 IDPs residing in informal displacement sites in Port-au-Prince remains severely
limited, according to the UN.

4.7 Million People Face Acute Food Insecurity, WF P Provides Assistance

Economic decline, reduced agricultural production, rising inflation, recurrent natural disasters, persistent
political instability, and insecurity continue to limit populations’ access to essential commodities and
contribute to worsening food security conditions in Haiti, according to a December report by the UN
Food and Agriculture Organization. More than 4.7 million people in Haiti, or nearly half the population,
are facing Crisis—IPC 3—or worse levels of acute food insecurity through February, including 19,000
people facing Catastrophe—IPC 5—conditions, according to the IPC’s October 2022 analysis. 2 Notably,
OCG activity—including road-blockages, extortion, and vehicle theft—on major transportation routes
linking Port-au-Prince to peripheral areas of Haiti has consistently inhibited agricultural and food import
commerce in Haiti, disrupting market functionality and exacerbating food insecurity, according to the
UN World Food Program (WFP).

Meanwhile, insufficient rainfall during the late 2022 planting season—combined with OCG activity near
high crop-producing areas, such as Artibonite Department’s Artibonite Valley—will likely result in
below-average crop yields for the December 2022–March 2023 harvest season, according to the Famine
Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). Agricultural production is expected to be particularly
poor in northern Haiti, where precipitation levels were among the lowest in the country during 2022.

2 1The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is a multi-partner initiative that developed a standardized scale to classify the severity and magnitude of food
insecurity. The IPC scale, which is comparable across countries and time, ranges from Minimal—IPC 1—to Famine—IPC 5—for acute food insecurity.

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Overall, reduced agricultural labor activity and decreased fertile land preparation throughout Haiti in
late 2022 and early 2023 will likely contribute to a below-average spring harvest—the source of
approximately 60 percent of Haiti’s annual crop production—further constraining food supplies in the
country, FEWS NET anticipates.

USAID/BHA Supports Airlink to Fly Relief Supplies Into Haiti

With USAID/BHA support, Airlink—a nonprofit humanitarian logistics organization—established a
humanitarian “air bridge” to transport essential relief commodities to Haiti in response to the country’s
ongoing complex emergency. In December, Airlink transported 88 MT of critical health and WASH
supplies—such as intravenous fluids, personal protection equipment, and water purification supplies—to
relief organizations responding to the cholera epidemic, including USAID/BHA partner CARE. With
Airlink’s support, USAID/BHA partner CARE is also transporting water treatment units to Haiti’s
Cayemites islands, where populations face severe shortages of safe drinking water and elevated cholera
risks.

Humanitarian organizations have faced challenges delivering aid to Haiti following increasing transport
prices, including a 160 percent increase in air charter prices during the last six years, according to
Airlink. Few airlines choose to fly to Haiti due to rising prices for fuel and labor to offload cargo, while
global competition for air freight space has made air transport too expensive for many relief
organizations. Such agencies no longer opt for sea-based transportation due to a lack of port security
amid OCG violence, further driving competition and prices for air freight space. With USAID/BHA
support, Airlink continues to transport food assistance, medical supplies, and WASH commodities into
Haiti to support humanitarian organizations actively responding to the ongoing complex emergency.

KEY FIGURES U.S. GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

USAID/BHA coordinates with partners within the USG and the GoH MSPP
Task Force, as well as liaises with relief actors on the ground to control the
cholera epidemic and assist with the emergency response. USAID/BHA is
also working with existing partners in Haiti to adapt their current
humanitarian programming to respond to the cholera epidemic in the
country. USAID/BHA partners Action Against Hunger USA (AAH/USA),
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE),
Concern, Doctors of the World, Fonkoze, Mercy Corps, UNICEF, and WFP
have already redirected some existing programs in Haiti to help prevent and
respond to cholera among affected populations.

LOGISTICS AND RELIEF COMMODITIES

USAID/BHA, using is unique coordination and logistical capabilities, is
mobilizing supplies to support cholera treatment and response efforts amid
304 MT the fuel shortage in Haiti. In partnership with logistics nonprofit Airlink,
Total weight of USAID/BHA established a humanitarian air bridge to deliver critical health
USAID/BHA-facilitated and WASH supplies to relief organizations combating cholera in Haiti,
relief commodities
delivering 88 MT of commodities in December. Additionally, USAID/BHA
transported to Haiti to
respond to the cholera provided more than $60,000 for relief commodities—including gloves, soap,
outbreak and water purification tablets—to be purchased locally in Haiti and
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 delivered to the GoH General Directorate for Civil Protection in recent
months. USAID/BHA also funds IOM to maintain pre-positioned emergency
relief supplies—sufficient to support nearly 75,000 individuals—in Haiti for
distribution in response to sudden-onset disasters, in addition to supporting
WFP to provide critical transportation and logistics services to support the
broader humanitarian response. Since July, IOM has distributed more than
19,300 relief items from its contingency stocks—including critical hygiene
kits and cholera prevention supplies—to support nearly 17,500 people in
need throughout Haiti, including individuals affected by the cholera
epidemic.

WASH AND HEALTH

USAID/BHA support for WASH and health programming in Haiti serves to
prevent and address the spread of cholera and other communicable
diseases, as well provide access to safe drinking water for people in need.
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USAID/BHA currently supports seven partners implementing WASH
USAID/BHA-supported
partners conducting activities—including ACTED, CRS, CORE, Doctors of the World, Humanity
WASH activities in Haiti and Inclusion, Mercy Corps, and UNICEF—to provide hygiene kits and safe
drinking water to vulnerable households, repair WASH infrastructure,
disseminate disease prevention messaging, and conduct awareness campaigns
on hygiene practices to reduce disease transmission. USAID/BHA also
supports the ongoing rehabilitation of 22 water points in Haiti’s Southern
Peninsula to facilitate access to safe drinking water for more than 100,000
people.

USAID/BHA health partners Doctors of the World and PAHO work to

strengthen the capacity of health care centers in Haiti’s Artibonite, Centre,
Nippes, Nord, and Ouest departments. Elsewhere, along with Doctors of
the World and Humanity and Inclusion, USAID/BHA partner the UN
5 Population Fund (UNFPA) supports the operation of 24 health facilities in
USAID/BHA partners
providing health services in
Haiti’s Southern Peninsula. Simultaneously, USAID/BHA’s WASH and health
Haiti partners across Haiti have adjusted their existing programming to meet
emerging cholera response needs, while also working to overcome
security-related access constraints.

FOOD ASSISTANCE
While security conditions and fuel shortages have posed logistical challenges
for humanitarian operations, USAID/BHA food assistance partners continue
11 to overcome access constraints and reach populations in need. USAID/BHA
USAID/BHA partners supports 11 partners—including AAH/USA, ACTED, CARE, CORE,
providing food assistance Concern, CRS, Fonkoze, Humanity and Inclusion, the Inter-American
in Haiti
Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Mercy Corps, and WFP—
to provide emergency food assistance in Haiti, which includes cash transfers
for food and food vouchers; locally, regionally, and internationally procured
food; and U.S. in-kind food assistance to populations experiencing acute
food insecurity. Due to changing security conditions and rising food costs,
USAID/BHA continues to work with food assistance partners to maintain
flexibility in the types of food assistance provided.

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 USAID/BHA also supports WFP to maintain a pre-positioned stock of
emergency food commodities to quickly distribute throughout Haiti in the
event of a disaster. With USAID/BHA support, WFP distributed more than
191 MT of in-kind food—including cooking oil, peas, and rice—to more than
24,000 food insecure people in the Port-au-Prince area during December.
Additionally, the UN agency distributed nearly $1.9 million in multipurpose
cash assistance to nearly 73,000 people in Port-au-Prince and Artibonite,
Centre, and Nord-Ouest departments during the same period.

PROTECTION
USAID/BHA supports seven partners, including CRS, Concern, Doctors of
the World, Humanity and Inclusion, Save the Children Federation (SCF), the
7 UN Development Program (UNDP), and UNFPA, to provide critical
USAID/BHA partners protection support—such as GBV prevention and response and
providing protection
services in Haiti psychosocial support (PSS) services—across Grand’Anse, Nippes, and Sud,
as well as Port-au-Prince, in response to the heightened protection needs
resulting from increasing insecurity. In addition, USAID/BHA partner
Doctors of the World is training health care personnel in Nippes and Ouest
on PSS best practices. USAID/BHA requires all partners to incorporate
protection principles into each supported intervention in Haiti while
promoting meaningful access, dignity, and safety for all beneficiaries.

CONTEXT IN BRIEF
• Civil unrest, disease, economic instability, and insecurity—combined with recurring shocks from natural
disasters, including droughts, earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes—have resulted in food insecurity,
essential commodity shortages, and other humanitarian needs throughout Haiti in recent years. In
response, USAID/BHA funds humanitarian programs in Haiti that aim to save lives, alleviate suffering,
build resilience, enhance food security, strengthen livelihoods, and respond to disease outbreaks.
USAID/BHA also funds additional programming to reduce disaster risk in Haiti and bolster national self-
sufficiency through emergency preparedness and management.

• Amid the continued deterioration of the security situation in Haiti, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Eric W.
Stromayer issued a redeclaration of humanitarian need on October 8, 2022, in anticipation of continued
humanitarian needs in FY 2023.

• In response to the worsening humanitarian crisis and cholera epidemic in Haiti, USAID/BHA activated a
DART on October 14, 2022, to identify, verify, and address the immediate humanitarian needs of the
most vulnerable Haitians, with a particular focus on alleviating food insecurity; addressing acute
protection needs; and supporting cholera prevention and response. The DART is actively coordinating
with humanitarian partners and the U.S. Embassy on the ground in Haiti to lead the USG’s humanitarian
response efforts. USAID/BHA also activated a Washington, D.C.-based Response Management Team on
October 14, 2022, to support the DART.

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 USAID HUMANITARIAN FUNDING FOR THE HAITI RESPONSE IN FY 20231

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER ACTIVITY LOCATION AMOUNT

USAID/BHA

Economic Recovery and Market Systems

AAH/USA (ERMS), Food Assistance–Cash Transfers and Nord-Ouest $3,000,000
Food Vouchers, WASH

ERMS, Food Assistance–Food Vouchers,

Concern Ouest $4,000,000
Nutrition, Protection, WASH

ERMS, Food Assistance–Cash Transfers,

CRS Sud-Est $3,500,000
Nutrition, WASH

Food Assistance–Cash Transfers, Health,

Humanity and Inclusion Nord, Nord-Est, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est $1,500,000
Protection, WASH

Humanitarian Coordination, Information

IMPACT Initiatives Countrywide $1,000,000
Management, and Assessments (HCIMA)

Artibonite, Grand'Anse, Ouest, Nippes,

Project Hope Health, Protection, WASH $6,000,000
Sud, Sud-Est

SCF Nutrition, Protection Grand'Anse, Sud $2,000,000

UNDP Protection Countrywide $3,000,000

UNFPA Protection Ouest $2,500,000

UNICEF WASH Countrywide $1,500,120

UN Office for the Coordination

HCIMA Countrywide $1,000,000
of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

ERMS; Food Assistance–Cash Transfers;

WFP Humanitarian Policy, Studies, Analysis, or Countrywide $21,415,508
Applications; Logistics Support

Agriculture, ERMS, Food Assistance–Cash

World Relief International Sud $3,500,000
Transfers, WASH

Logistics Support Countrywide $2,450,082

Program Support $140,747

TOTAL USAID HUMANITARIAN FUNDING FOR THE HAITI RESPONSE IN FY 2023 $56,506,457
1 Year of funding indicates the date of commitment or obligation, not appropriation, of funds. Funding figures reflect publicly announced funding as of January 24, 2023.

PUBLIC DONATION INFORMATION

• The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that
are conducting relief operations. A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for disaster
responses around the world can be found at interaction.org.

• USAID encourages cash donations because they allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the
affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, and warehouse
space); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken
region; and ensure culturally, dietarily, and environmentally appropriate assistance.

• More information can be found at:

o USAID Center for International Disaster Information: cidi.org
o Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at reliefweb.int.

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USAID/BHA bulletins appear on the USAID website at usaid.gov/humanitarian-assistance/where-we-work