Cholera Treatment Center / MASS Design Group

Cholera—a curable, preventable disease that had not previously existed in Haiti, emerged in 2010 after contaminated waste leaked into the Artibonite River, resulting in rapid spread. When the disease broke, Port-au-Prince’s only waste-filtration plant remained closed following the earthquake, while access to clean water and waste treatment programs was limited. Along with hundreds of healthcare facilities across the country, GHESKIO quickly deployed cholera treatment tents, intended as a short-term response. The tents were difficult to keep sanitary; they were hot in the Haitian climate, deficient at preventing widespread infection, and incapable of providing the human right to dignified healthcare.