Japan and UNICEF Commit to Strengthening Healthcare and Safe Water for Crisis-Affected Populations in Haiti

Port-au-Prince, 13 March 2025 – As escalating violence continues to deprive thousands of children and families of their most basic rights, the government of Japan has provided $1.8 million to UNICEF to deliver lifesaving healthcare and safe water to displaced populations, host communities, and those living in areas controlled by armed groups in the Artibonite and West departments.

This funding will ensure access to essential healthcare and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services for those vulnerable children and families receive urgent support in the face of deteriorating conditions.

For many families, finding safe drinking water has become a daily struggle. Overcrowding in displacement sites, combined with limited access to clean water and sanitation facilities, exposes thousands, especially children to waterborne diseases such as cholera. 

"This contribution from Japan is vital in strengthening our joint WASH-Health response for children and families affected by violence," said Geeta Narayan, UNICEF Representative in Haiti. "Alongside providing healthcare and medical supplies, we are improving WASH infrastructure and training healthcare personnel to protect the most vulnerable populations."

Haiti’s prolonged security and humanitarian crisis has pushed basic services to the brink of collapse. Currently, 55%1 of health facilities are non-operational, depriving million of access to quality healthcare. Many hospitals have been looted, destroyed, or burned, leaving residents with no options to treat illnesses and injuries.

According to UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC), 3.8 million people, including children, are in urgent need of safe drinking water, while 4.2 million require access to healthcare services.

"Japan, in partnership with UNICEF and other UN agencies, has provided substantial support for initiatives of the Government of Haiti to accompany a population facing multiple crises, particularly in the health, water, sanitation, food and nutrition sectors," said NISHIUCHI Kazuhiko, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Japan in Haiti. "This contribution will ensure access of the most vulnerable people to essential health and WASH services, which is all the more important given Japan's historical commitment to the fight against cholera and other water-borne diseases in Haiti."

Through this funding, UNICEF and its partners will reach nearly 180,000 people by constructing and rehabilitating WASH facilities in healthcare centers, delivering safe drinking water to hospitals and displacement sites, and strengthening healthcare services through integrated emergency interventions. Additionally, awareness sessions will be organized in communities to educate people on water treatment and cholera prevention.

As thousands of children and families struggle to survive amid worsening humanitarian conditions, this support from Japan is a powerful act of solidarity, bringing hope and essential relief to those who need it most.