Résumé en français : Cela faisait un an qu'Haïti était ravagée par un tremblement de terre dévastateur faisant 230 000 morts et 3 millions de blessés.

It was one year ago that a powerful earthquake struck one of the world’s poorest nations, Haiti.

At the time many people were unaware of the significance of the event, but as the story began to unfold it became clear that the earthquake in Haiti was to become one of the worst natural disasters in history.
230 thousand people were killed and another three million were affected by its aftermath.

As the country gathers one year later to remember those moments that changed their nation, many ask - where is Haiti now?

Tent cities
If you were to arrive in the capital Port-au-Prince tomorrow, the picture you would see is one of a city (and a country) still in the early stages of reconstruction.
Despite receiving billions of US dollars in aid from governments and private donors around the world, the actual process of allocating funds and rebuilding lives is not without its complications and restrictions.

What have become known as tent cities are still dispersed across the city, a living testament of the destruction created by the earthquake.
People face many hardships in these camps, including hunger, illnesses, forced eviction and lack of running water and sanitisation.
One reporter from Time Magazine recently asked a woman living in a tent in Port-au-Prince about her living conditions… she responded:
"For us, every morning when we wake up and see this, it’s still Jan.12, 2010."

It is believed that some 800,000 people are still living in these temporary shelters. According to Save the Children, some 380,000 young people form part of this figure.

The disaster does not end there though.
The country is also dealing with a deadly cholera outbreak that, according to the government, has now killed more than 3500 people.
United Nations special envoy to Haiti, Bill Clinton, told BBC News that he is frustrated that "we haven’t done more" but also says he is certain the construction process will speed up.

Political instability
A crucial part of rebuilding any country is a stable government, and this is where Haiti has also suffered.
After months of political uncertainty the country held presidential elections in November 2010, with a former First Lady, a pop star, and a government party candidate all in the running.
These elections however, were widely viewed as flawed, with reports of fraud and intimidation dominating proceedings.
A second-round of elections had been scheduled for mid-January, but they have now been postponed until it’s decided which two candidates will face each other in the run-off election.
President Rene Preval is still officially in charge of the country, but with its future government still undecided, many Haitians are worried about the state of their nation, and what a divided government means for reconstruction.

Hope
Despite all the odds being stacked against their country, Haitians are still filled with hope that things will get better.
Many non-governmental organisations including MSF and the International Red Cross continue to work in Haiti, with large-scale humanitarian efforts still necessary one year down the line.
The British Red Cross Recovery Manager Alastair Burnett released a statement saying:
"Recovering from such a huge disaster will take years. Twelve months on is still just the beginning of that journey, but there are real positives which must not be overlooked."
And as the world focuses its eyes on Haiti yet again, perhaps people will find some hope knowing their stories will be remembered once again.