Influx of financial aid will pose a huge challenge

HAITI has received billions of dollars in taxpayer and private aid from the United States and others, yet is so poor that few homes had safe drinking water, sewage disposal or electricity even before the earthquake. With sympathetic donors around the world sending money, making sure that aid is spent properly will be a challenge.

Corruption, theft and Haiti’s sheer shortage of fundamentals – reliable roads, telephone and power lines and a sound financial system – add to the difficulty as foreign governments and charities try not only to help Haiti recover from the disaster but pull itself out of abject poverty.

It is one of the poorest places on Earth. Most basic public services are lacking, people typically live on less than $2 a day, nearly half the population is illiterate and the government has a history of instability. The public has little opportunity to be sure aid to the government is used honestly and well. Nor is following the money easy for donors, including the US, 1,126 kilometres away and one of the country’s biggest helpers.