Haiti Earthquake Aid: Nearly $15 Billion in Donations

By: Sharyl Attkisson
Topics: News

Three months after the earthquake in Haiti, many people still in need of basic emergency help.

CBS News set out to answer what seemed like a simple question: how much has been spent on and promised to Haiti?

The answer didn't exist in one place.

So we compiled the best figures available to come up with a total.

Here's what we came up with:

Total Donations for Haiti Earthquake Relief:

$4 billion: NGO's and charities. That includes $66 million raised by record-breaking Hope for Haiti Now telethon.
$1.019 billion: U.S. tax dollars through USAID (as of April 9)
$1.15 billion: U.S. tax dollars (for future redevelopment)
$8.75 billion (for redevelopment from non-U.S. countries and world bodies)

TOTAL: $14.9+ billion

(Not included is debt forgiveness which the US and other countries are offering Haiti)

Haiti's government has estimated losses from the quake to be approximately $8 billion. Economists and world bodies have estimated the cost of rebuilding at between $8 billion and $14 billion.

The $14.9 billion donated so far works out to nearly $10,000 for each of the estimated 1.5 million Haitians left homeless and displaced by the disaster. On average, workers there earn just $4 a day. The funding includes emergency aid as well as pledges to help rebuild Haiti to a state better than it was before: new hospitals, clinics, school systems, government buildings, better sanitation and a more modern infrastructure.

Sharyl Attkisson
Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News investigative correspondent based in Washington. All of her stories, videos and blogs are available here.
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