The people of Port-au-Prince will forever measure their lives in two parts: before and after the earthquake. As the ground shook on the afternoon of January 12, buildings toppled and crumbled, crushing thousands. An estimated 200,000 people are dead, many of them still entombed in the rubble.
Haiti: Systemic Crises Before and After the Earthquake
Published January 15, 2010
Tatum Taylor and Mark Stanley, Pulitzer Center
This past week, with international focus centered on Haiti, the Pulitzer Center has joined in the global dialogue by drawing attention to the systemic crises that existed in the country before the Jan. 12 earthquake.
We aim to raise awareness of the other issues facing the people affected by this disaster. Our grantees have captured the deplorable conditions of Haiti's national penitentiary, which was among the buildings destroyed by the earthquake, and explored the lives of the child slaves who comprise nearly ten percent of Haiti's youth population.
One of our Twitter followers suggested that we concentrate on Haiti's HIV/AIDS population, given their need for medication and care. The countries of the Caribbean suffer from the highest HIV infection rate outside of sub-Saharan Africa, and Haiti struggles with the highest rate in the region. Antigone Barton and Steve Sapienza reported on the epidemic for the Pulitzer Center. Traveling to Haiti and Dominican Republic, they investigated disparities in infection and treatment and put a human face to the battle against the disease. Their work is featured on the interactive website Heroes of HIV.
The recent outpouring of donations and attention shows that people are concerned about Haiti. Devastating yet often-ignored systemic crises existed there before the earthquake, and they will continue to deserve global attention. It is the Pulitzer Center's goal to encourage sustained awareness about the issues in this small Caribbean nation, as well as in all nations and regions that suffer from systemic crises.
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Tatum joined the Pulitzer Center team in August 2009. A graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, she holds an honors B.A. in English with an emphasis in creative writing,...
Mark Stanley worked with the Pulitzer Center as new media strategist December 2009 through 2010. Mark has worked on the communication teams for Investigative Reporters and Editors and Newsy.com. He...
