The education sector was facing huge challenges before the earthquake. There was low public expenditure in education (approximately 5 per cent in 2007), less than 10 per cent of Haïti’s education infrastructure was government-owned, over half of primary schools were concentrated in the West Department and approximately 23 sub-communes didn’t have any education infrastructure. It is not surprising that less than half of children were estimated to be attending school and only one third of children enrolled actually completed their primary studies. The 2010 earthquake further crippled the education system, with almost 4,000 education establishments damaged or destroyed, disrupting schooling for approximately 2.5 million students. [...]

Even before the earthquake, Haitian children were exceedingly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. An estimated 225,000 children worked as domestic servants in non-family households; more than 50,000 lived in residential care facilities; and at least 2,700 were living on the streets of Port-au-Prince alone. Vulnerable children in these groups risk exposure to exploitation such as trafficking, premature adoptions and gender-based violence. The 2010 earthquake heightened exposure to risks since it further eroded the country’s already fragile social and child protection systems, as well as the capacity of parents and caregivers to support their children. [...]

Before the earthquake, half of Haïti’s population lacked access to medicines, and 47 per cent did not have access to health care, due to the extremely centralised nature of the health system. Even when accessible, health services were generally poor in quality due to infrastructural deficiencies and a lack of human resources. The 2010 earthquake caused damage to infrastructure and put an overwhelming focus on emergency response. The cholera outbreak nine months later placed an additional burden on health facilities and personnel but this time, all across the country - especially in the most remote of areas. [...]

In Haïti, 58 per cent of the population is less than 24 years old. Only 33 per cent of rural youth and 53 per cent of urban youth attend school. Less than 1 per cent of youth in Haïti attend university, and 20 per cent of youth are illiterate. This generation has also grown up amidst political instability including military coups, civil protests, political crimes, an economic embargo, rampant corruption, drug trafficking and high rates of gang-related crime. Major hurricanes and the 2010 earthquake also had a major impact on youth - and underlined the need for individuals of all ages to be better prepared for emergencies.