Haiti: Where Has All the Money Gone?

In the twenty-seven months after an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck Haiti, almost $6 billion was disbursed in official aid. Another $3 billion was donated in private contributions. Analysis of the data shows that nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and private contractors have been the intermediate recipients of most of these funds. The government of Haiti has received just 1 percent of humanitarian aid, and 15 to 21 percent of longer-term relief aid. NGOs and private contractors in Haiti have consequently built an extensive infrastructure for the provision of social services. Yet these entities appear to have limited accountability—despite the use of public funds, there are few evaluations of services delivered, lives saved, or mistakes made. We recommend three things to improve the current situation. One, that NGOs and private contractors carry out systematic and widely accessible evaluations of their work. Two, that all actors in Haiti be held accountable by publishing data on expenditures and outcomes. And three, that the government of Haiti procure services through competitive bidding whenever possible.