PORT-AU-PRINCE, 18 February 2022, (TON): The US, European Union and others pledged $600 million in additional funds to help hundreds of thousands struggling six months after a powerful earthquake struck Haiti’s southern region.

The pledges made during a conference held by the United Nations and Haiti’s government fell short of an international push to raise $2 billion to help the country rebuild from a magnitude 7.2 quake last August.

It killed an estimated 2,200 people and destroyed or damaged more than 130,000 homes and some 1,250 schools.

Amina Mohammed, a deputy UN secretary-general, called the $2 billion figure “daunting,” but said Haiti needs international support.

She said “we are aware that aid budgets are under pressure across the globe. We also know there is donor fatigue. And we have heard, loud and clear, concerns about the results of aid in Haiti. But this is not the time to give up.”

Shortly after she spoke at the conference held at a hotel in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and also streamed online, the US Agency for International Development pledged an additional $50 million, the European Union more than $30 million worth of grants and Canada nearly $20 million, among others.

 Ariel Henry, Haiti’s prime minister, thanked the international community for the solidarity they showed immediately after the quake but said much needs to be rebuilt, especially in rural communities.