Ouest - Haiti Observer Blog

Bellevue la Montagne is located in region Ouest, Haiti. It is a small place with a very small population that survives under inexplicable poverty. People in Bellevue la Montagne are live examples of what we say, 'life goes on and you just live.' Yes, they just live! La Montagne means 'The Mountain' in French. This explains the geographic location of Bellevue la Montagne which stands at 3000 feet elevation from the coast.

Bellevue la Montagne consists of 3 small villages which include Belleu, Terra Rouge and Le Croix. Living in ultimate poverty, the main livelihood for the people of Bellevue la Montagne is farming. Because of shortage of electricity, water and irrigation facilities, agriculture produces just enough for the farmers to feed their families and if they are lucky, they will have some extra produce that they can sell in local market. There is only one school in Bellevue la Montagne that is located at a distance of 1-1/2 hours and children need to spend 3 hours every day to walking up and down to their school. Only those children go to school whose parents can afford $25 a year.

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Life has not been easy for people living in Cabaret, which is one of the two towns forming the Arrondissement of Arcahaie in the Ouest Department. About 63,450 people are residing in the town and for the past years, they have faced a lot of challenges, including deaths and calamities.

In 2010, Haiti has been hit by a devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people. In relation with this, Cabaret has witnessed the deadly impact of the calamity as it served as mass graves for the victims. Outside Titanyen, which is one of the settlements in Cabaret, mass graves were dug for the victims of the earthquake. Some parts of the fields were chosen so as to have a place to lay the victims to rest.

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