Fast Fact: 15 years after an earthquake hit Haiti and billions were given in relief funds through the Clintons, only 6 houses were built
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and leveled much of Haiti in January 2010.
Billions in pledged relief funds, much of it funneled through Bill, and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who promised quick reconstruction.
Even though more than $13 billion was given, hundreds of thousands still live in tent cities with only 6 houses being built (By the Red Cross who collected $500 million)
Leading the charge on handling donations were the Clintons, who directed how the money – including $3.4 billion from the U.S. alone – was allocated.
Bill Clinton, already serving as the United Nations’ Special Envoy to Haiti since 2009, was tapped to co-chair the Recovery Commission, with Hillary Clinton, as head of the State Department, overseeing American contributions.
The Clinton Foundation was involved with critics saying Hillary ran a “pay-to-play” culture, where donors to the foundation were given favorable contracts, sidelining local needs in favor of elite relationships that benefited connected insiders.
Of the 1.5 million homes destroyed, USAID, under Hillary Clinton’s State Department, completed 906 units by 2013
The Clinton foundation’s flagship effort, the $300 million Caracol Industrial Park, was pitched as an economic engine that would create 60,000 jobs.
In reality, it generated about 20% of the jobs, mostly low-wage.
It was also criticized for land grabs from local farmers and contracts awarded to major donors like telecom giant Digicel.
Direct housing contributions were minimal, with the foundation focusing more on business incentives than grassroots rebuilding.
Funds flowed to politically connected firms, while Haitian voices were often marginalized.
One GAO audit found U.S. aid programs reduced home-building goals by over 80%, joining other complaints that the Clintons prioritized photo-op glamour over actually rebuilding Haiti and helping the people.
