Port-au-Prince, Haiti -  Two years ago, a 7.0-magnitude quake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010 - killed, by some estimates, 300,000 people and left more than 2 million homeless.

Two years later, although hundreds of thousands of Haitians are still living in makeshift camps, the country has come a long way.

The effects of the earthquake are still present everywhere in Port-au-Prince: the tent encampments, the cracked buildings, the empty lots. Schools operate in open plywood classrooms.

But the most visible piles of rubble have been hauled away, and life has returned to a rhythm similar to what was here before the quake.

President Michel Martelly says Haiti had huge challenges even before the disaster. The pop star turned politician took office last year. Martelly says his administration is finally in place and moving forward to tackle the country's problems.

"You go by the airport, we have already inaugurated one phase of the airport," he says. "You go by the streets, you see some camps are being emptied out. Now, we need everyone's participation, everyone's input. We need to better use the money that's given, channel that money properly, and we'll be heading in the right direction."

Three major hotel projects are under way in Port-au-Prince. A giant industrial park is being built in the north of the country.

Martelly has launched a program to provide free education to almost 1 million kids by taxing international phone calls and remittances. Despite some of the funds allegedly going missing, the program remains extremely popular.

Read more >>> http://www.npr.org/2012/01/12/145104854/ordinary-life-resurrected-slowly-in-haiti