On August 14, 2021, Haiti was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that devastated the lives of more than 650,000 people. This event brought back memories of the 2010 earthquake, further scarring an already fragile country where every calamity turns into humanitarian tragedy.
The 2021 earthquake killed 2,247 people, injured more than 12,700 and destroyed thousands of homes, while Storm Grace aggravated the situation with floods and landslides. The scars of these events are still evident, heavily impacting the country’s development.
Consequences of the earthquake
The 2021 earthquake struck a Haiti already tested by malnutrition, political instability and a pandemic. More than 53,000 homes were destroyed and 1,060 schools were damaged, compromising the education of thousands of children.
More than 80 health facilities have been affected, exacerbating difficulties in accessing care. Overcrowded camps, lack of clean water and sanitation have increased the risk of diseases, such as cholera.
In this backdrop, infants and young children, already vulnerable, have been more exposed to serious health risks. Women and girls have also experienced escalating risks, including an alarming increase in incidents of physical and sexual violence.
The situation in Haiti today
Haiti has a population of nearly eleven and a half million, 80% of whom live in extreme poverty.
Today Haiti is experiencing one of the worst crises in its recent history, with conditions worsening by the day. As advocated by the United Nations, the “spiraling crisis” in Haiti requires continued global attention.
5.5 million people, including 3 million children — that is, two out of three — depend on humanitarian aid to survive. In many areas, essential services such as food and water have become scarce. 270,000 children throughout the Caribbean country suffer from severe malnutrition, and Haiti is one of the countries in the world that is not guaranteed access to clean water.
Armed gangs dominate many areas, making life untenable and blocking humanitarian corridors such as the Martissant road, isolating 15,000 malnourished children. The resurgence of cholera and rising violence exacerbate an already desperate picture, with 58,000 children at risk of death from lack of care.
Andrea Bocelli Foundation’s initiatives for the people of Haiti
It was precisely the 2010 earthquake that was the input for Andrea Bocelli Foundation to support, starting in 2013, Haitian communities with targeted, high-impact interventions.
One of the most significant projects is the ABF Water Truck, implemented in collaboration with local partner The St Luke Foundation. It is an initiative that provides 24,000 gallons of water every day to the more than 400,000 people living in the slums of Cité Soleil, where access to clean water is limited and daily life marked by precariousness.
ABF also sees the right to education as a key lever for change and for providing these populations with concrete opportunities for redemption.
Just to pursue its mission “Empowering people and communities,” within the project
ABF Edu, the foundation has built 6 schools, both in the capital and in the more remote areas of the country, accommodating a total of 3,000 children and young people from age three through high school.
Run in partnership with Fondation St Luc, ABF schools provide safe spaces where children can take refuge from the dangers of widespread crime and receive an education that is the only real chance for a better future.
These schools, which are recognized and accredited as equivalent to state schools, are run by qualified teachers and staff who follow a curriculum that conforms to the national curriculum, ensuring quality education tailored to the specific needs of each community.
The goal is to create awareness that makes young people protagonists of change, restoring their dignity and hope for a better future where they can actively contribute to the betterment of their community.
Andrea Bocelli Foundation also carries on in Haiti the ABF Mobile Clinic project, which has been providing primary health care since 2013, intervening every four months in the communities of St. Raphael, St. Augustin and Dame Marie, where three of the six schools built by ABF in collaboration with Fondation St. Luc are operational.
Since 2024, the project has evolved into ABF Health & Care, which ensures the daily opening of the St. Raphael clinic. With a stable medical and nursing team, the clinic now provides ongoing care, structured treatment, and prevention programs for students, their families, and the entire Haitian community.
