Ouest Department - Haiti Observer Blog

Kenscoff is located in the Ouest Department in Port-au-prince Arrondissement in Haiti. It has around 4000 inhabitants. It is situated ten kilometers southeast of the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. Grand Fond, Belle Fontaine, Touraine, Sourcailles and Bongaille are the five sections Kenscoff municipality is divided into.

Climate

Kenscoff lies within the coordinates 72° 17' 13" West and 18° 27' 2" North. It is located at a height of 1500 meters. Average temperature of this place is lesser when compared to the climate at Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.

It is quite cold during the winter months and wearing a jacket or a sweater, becomes necessary. The temperature ranges between 26 to14 degrees centigrade. The coldest months are December, January and February.

Read more →  

Gonâve Island lies on the Caribbean Sea, in the Gulf of Gonâve, to the west and northwest of Port-au-Prince. It is in the La Gonâve Arrondissement, part of Ouest Department. Because the island's topography is composed mainly of limestone, it lacks sufficient vegetation, and low levels of annual rainfall bring on water shortages. La Gonâve Arrondissement is comprised of two districts, Anse-à-Galets and Pointe-à-Raquette. It has a large population of 80,000 inhabitants.

Gonâve's biggest challenge is the scarceness of its water supply. In 2005, a crisis arose when the island experienced a severe drought, bringing many aid agencies to its rescue, sealing springs and erecting rainwater tanks. They have also installed an island-wide water-transport system and dug wells to deliver water to the drought-stricken islanders. A consortium of government, non-government and non-profit organizations, churches, and other aid organizations have established the Water Platform. This body coordinates the efforts of all agencies working on Gonâve to further their work. Within two years of the drought crisis, 25 wells had been dug and more were planned.

Read more →  

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.

Read about more Haitian cities and towns....

Read more →  

Gressier is a small town and municipality in the Ouest Department of Port-au-Prince Arrondissement in Haiti's south western region. It covers a distance of 89.8 square kilometers and is located at an elevation of 52 feet. As per 2003 data, it has a population of 25,947. It is located with the coordinates 72°31'0 West and 18°33'0 North.

After The 2010 Earthquake

Gressier is situated on its western side, the Momance River to its south and Carrefour lies to its east. Petit Boucan, Morne Chandelle and Morne à Bateau form the three sections of the municipality. The January 2010 earthquake affected the town greatly which also ravaged half of Haiti. The earthquake led to the displacement of a lot of people from their homes, and many buildings were damaged.

Read more →  

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.

Read more →  

There are many things and factors that contribute to the current condition in Cornillon, a small town in the Arrondissement of Croix-des-Bouquets. It is not a super rich town but its people still have a decent source of livelihood. To know more about the town in the Department of Ouest, here are some more information about it.

Situated in a mountainous region of the southern eastern part of the country, Cornillon has more than 48,900 inhabitants. The town comprises of five sections and witnesses tropical wet and dry weathers.

The town has experienced wide deforestation. This is because settlements were needed. Deforestation was also done in order to give way for more charcoal production. Such production is one of the main sources of income in the town because the demand for coal is high across the country. Because charcoal is the primary source of fuel in Haiti, charcoal product has become one of the highest income-generating livelihoods, especially in Cornillon. However, people do not only rely on charcoal production to make ends meet. They also produce fruits and coffee. Without agricultural and charcoal productions, residents will probably find it more difficult to get by as the town is not as wealthy as the other cities in the country.

Read more →  

The residential town of Croix Des Bouquets in the Ouest Department used to be clean, peaceful and glamorous. Even if a deadly earthquake rattled the entire country in 2010, Croix Des Bouquets retained its glamour as it was not as affected as the capital of Port-au-Prince. However, the aftermath of the earthquake eventually became destructive and detrimental to Croix Des Bouquets.

As survivors fled Port-au-Prince to seek shelter in other towns and cities, refugees thronged to Croix Des Bouquets. This resulted in a period of chaos, as people continued to come to the town. People began setting up tents for shelters and merchants started to scatter all around. This made the town untidy and unruly, which was such a waste because a lot of developmental programs have been done in the area to keep it clean, peaceful and orderly.

Read more →