Twelve months after a devastating earthquake shook Haiti to its core, the country is still grappling to find some stability.The 7.0 earthquake lasted around 35 seconds. It left more than 220,000 dead, 300,000 injured, and one million homeless.The quake is believed to have destroyed 60 percent of government infrastructure in the Caribbean nation and caused more than 180,000 homes to be uninhabitable.Even before the quake Haiti was considered the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with 80 percent of the population living under the poverty line.It was affected by the AIDS epidemic, which resulted in high death rates, and an unstable political climate.But it was making great strides. Former United States President Bill Clinton said in October 2009: “There is enormous potential here.” At the time, there were hundreds of investors looking at the country's potential for manufacturing and tourism growth.A year after the natural disaster, however, more than 1.5 million are still living in overcrowded displacement camps.The nation suffered from a bout of cholera after the January 12 earthquake, which killed more than 3,000 people. It also battled with Hurricane Thomas, which caused flooding and further spread the disease.And despite billions of dollars being promised to the aid relief efforts over $1 million alone from Bermuda change appears to be slow moving.The Royal Gazette talked with Bermuda residents who have been instrumental in aid efforts in Haiti over the past year, providing containers of food and medical supplies and building orphanages, schools and health clinics.People like physician Tiffany Keenan and philanthropist Philip Rego, who have worked to care for children and families hit by the disaster, also shared their hopes for the nation.This paper talked to two men who call Haiti home Wesly Guiteau and Read Currelly and asked them to recall the memorable day of the quake, when their lives changed.The Royal Gazette also spoke with missionaries Pastor Gary Simons and Mary Samuels from the Cornerstone Foundation who hope their sponsorship programmes in Port-au-Prince can empower a generation of young Haitians to better their country.Some have said not enough has been done in the 12 months since the disaster; others are keeping faith alive and, like Mr Guiteau, remain “cautiously optimistic” the nation can rebuild.