Thread by @ARgeogcurric

THREAD: Subject knowledge update on Haiti 2010 Earthquake

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world as it has been impoverished by a ‘debt’ after the successful slave revolution in 1804, interference from the US and successive corrupt leaders. (1/11)
#geographyteacher

Thus the country was left vulnerable to the devastating impacts of the earthquake in 2010.

After independence, Haiti was forced to pay France the modern equivalent of US$21 billion for the "theft" of the slaveowner's "property”. (2/11)

Haiti did not finish repaying this debt until 1947, and subsequent government borrowing and corruption left Haiti further indebted to other countries. (3/11)
forbes.com/sites/realspin…

This article by @weareiguacu gives more detail on the reasons for Haiti's enduring poverty.
medium.com/@weareiguacu/n…

At the time of the 2010 earthquake, Haiti’s government was barely functioning; it was rated as one of the most corrupt in the world. (4/11)

Public services such as education, sanitation, and health care were often provided by private institutions or nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and not by the government. (5/11)

Haiti also had no standing army, fire, or prehospital services, and only a small police force.
As a result, the government lacked the financial resources, management, and leadership infrastructure to respond effectively.
See more here👇 (6/11)
drive.google.com/file/d/12_LX_O…

Furthermore, the hazard was mismanaged by the very agencies supposed to help.

Cholera was brought to Haiti by UN aid workers who had flown in from Nepal. Haiti had been cholera free until they arrived. (7/11)

Lack of sanitation and improper hygiene around the UN workers camp meant that cholera entered the Artibonite River valley, which is used by tens of thousands of Haitains for bathing, washing and drinking. (8/11)
npr.org/sections/healt…

There are also multiple concerns about the effectiveness of the aid relief efforts. Oxfam GB is now banned from working in Haiti due to sexual misconduct from its aid workers. (9/11)
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-485934…

The Red Cross raised half a billion dollars but only built six homes in five years.
propublica.org/article/how-th…

Including this additional contextual information will allow students to understand the systems of global power through time as well as space. (10/11)

For background information and reflections on how we can teach about the lives of people in Africa pre-slavery (e.g. Kongolese soldiers in Haiti) see these great #historyteacher threads by @hannahcusworth & @tomallenhistory (11/11)

https://twitter.com/hannahcusworth/status/1359591269861834754

https://twitter.com/tomallenhistory/status/1360253641102405633

BONUS: @GeogMum has produced a resource on this for GEO and it's freely available here👇
geographyeducationonline.org/gcse/human-geo…