It was 30 seconds that changed people's lives in Haiti on January 12, 2010. An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale rocked the island nation, killing over 220,000 people, leaving millions homeless and destroying large parts of the capital Port-au-Prince.

A year on, aid and recovery operations are sluggish. The country's misery has been worsened by a deadly cholera epidemic and political turmoil.

DW-WORLD looks at the challenges Haiti has had to face over the past year.