Last Friday the European Commission has allocated a further €3 million to the 2011 humanitarian aid budget for the country, bringing the total of humanitarian funding by the European Commission in 2011 to €38.5 million.

Despite significant progress over the last 2 years there remain many challenges to reducing the vulnerability of the population. Hundreds of thousands are still homeless because of the earthquake and the population as a whole is at risk of cholera.

Kristalina Georgieva, the European Union's Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, said: "So long as Haitians need us we'll be there, and for the moment there remain significant humanitarian needs that the Haitian government cannot handle alone. We must also ensure that there is a successful transition from relief to reconstruction."

This additional funding will focus on the response to the earthquake and the cholera epidemic in Haiti. More than 550,000 people are still living in tented camps nearly two years after the earthquake. Moreover, epidemiologists warned against new waves of cholera at the start of the next rainy season, in April 2012.

The Commissioner added "One of our key priorities in 2012 will be the cholera response: cholera is deadly but it is easy to prevent and even easier to treat. But access to clean water and sanitation is vital. We already know that the next rainy season risks bringing new waves of cholera. Now is the time to act." Since the onset of the cholera epidemic European Commission humanitarian aid funding of health, water and sanitation operations have helped approximately 3 million Haitians.

For 2012, the Commission has set aside €15.25 million in humanitarian aid for Haiti.

S/ HaitiLibre