Stories / Gallery: Haiti - Living Amongst the Rubble

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake which struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 inflicted a catastrophe on one of the poorest nations in the world. The quake was centered about 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince and caused major loss of lives and heavy damage to the capital city and to other settlements in the region. 230,000 people are reported dead, 300,000 were injured and 1,000,000 became homeless. 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged. Hundreds of thousands of bodies were buried in Port-au-Prince in mass graves. On January 23rd, the Haitian government officially called off the search for survivors. Tens of thousands of children have lost their parents in the earthquake. NGO Volunteers from all over the globe provide nutritional and medical care for children at local orphanages in Port-au-Prince. Many of these children are sick with AIDS and their chances for survival are low.