Fatal Assistance

This documentary provides a meticulous analysis of the shortcomings of the humanitarian aid system put in place by the international community to help Haiti after the destructive earthquake in 2010.

In January 2010 Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries, was struck by a major earthquake. In the overpopulated city of Port-au-Prince alone 250,000 people were killed, and over a million inhabitants were left homeless. Soon, the international attention of the world was drawn to the disaster, leading to a massive aid effort. International organisations, hundreds of NGOs, former president Clinton and the inevitable Hollywood stars raised funds or went to the scene of the calamity. However, good intentions quickly turned into navel-gazing, self-interest and quarrelling between foreign aid organizations, that completely bypassed local authorities and the indigenous population. Three years later, all this has resulted in complete anarchy. Renowned director Raoul Peck, who was himself born and raised in Haiti, shows the endeavours to reconstruct Haiti and painfully reveals the destructive impact of the world-wide humanitarian aid.