poverty - Haiti Observer Blog

Listed on the 2012 count of those countries leading the world in 'suffering' is the western hemisphere's poorest, Haiti. It is a position resulting from years of government instability and fighting and was exacerbated by the devastating effects of the earthquake that tumbled hopes and dreams along with lives and infrastructure in January of 2010.

Still, as the list goes, it is headed by countries on the other side of the world, Bulgaria and Armenia respectively. The statistics are that Bulgarians, a large percentage of 39, rated their lives to be so bleak they could be labeled as 'suffering. This percentage outstripped the second most economically distressed country, Armenia, which has 37% of its population acknowledging their poor condition of life.

Read more →  

Overpopulation on the globe has become a serious concern to governments. All sectors of society are affected: jobs, education, healthcare, and agriculture. In emerging nations, the phenomenon is more intensified. Weak economies cannot create sufficient employment opportunities to lift people out of poverty. Nowhere is this truer than in Haiti. On the index of failed states, the small island has difficulty gaining traction to provide employment, housing, education, and healthcare to 70% of its 10 million population.

The poor in Haiti have become so desperate they often take to the streets, setting cars on fire and erecting barricades to obstruct the flow of commerce to voice their indignation at what they are forced to endure. Much of the violence occurring in places like Port-au-Prince come from gang activity. The Haitian National Police try to manage it but between inadequate manpower and the underground nature of gang activity it is like treading water.

Read more →  

Sustained on contributions of 10 gourdes, the community restaurant project, run in 11 community restaurants across the country, serves 500 hot meals between Monday and Friday at each establishment. On the occasion of the Gouvènman an lakay ou's 3rd edition, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST), Charles Jean Jacques, gave a rousing speech in which he underscored the benefit of these community restaurants to the country.

As such, 7 more of these restaurants are to be opened as part of a larger development plan for the north of Haiti. These will add to the number located in places such as: Nan Banann, Morne Rouge, Plaisance, Limonade, Fort-Bourgeois, Limbé, Fourgeolle and Grande Rivière du Nord. Three of the new restaurants were opened up in Milot, Petite-Anse et à Carrefour des Père as part of the commemoration of the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Vertières.

Read more →  

Non-government agency, USAID, has been sponsoring the Multi-Year Assistance Program (MYAP) to hand out food to women, who are pregnant, and mothers of young children under two years of age. But it has run up against harsh criticism from agencies like Haiti Grassroots Watch (HGW). The program is administered by World Vision (WV), and it is being charged with the noteworthy rise in pregnancies in girls as young as 12 years.

The town being focused on, in particular, is Savanette, where townspeople, agricultural specialists, and the recipients themselves think MYAP has caused the rise in pregnancies. The increased pregnancy rate is linked to high rates of food insufficiency among the population. FEWSNET states Savanette qualifies as a chronically-stressed community, where malnourishment rises almost to the level of a famine state. It is no surprise young girls are conceiving children--one after the other--to get staple items to stave off hunger. The repercussions of higher birth rates are families can't provide necessities like healthcare and an education for their children.

Read more →  

This statement is so true. Haiti is really too rich to be poor, based on its geographic location and resources. I am going to take Mole Saint-Nicolas as an example.

Earlier this week, a draft Strategic Development Plan of Mole Saint-Nicolas was presented to the government. The development is focused on four major areas: the development of maritime corridor, the promotion of Haiti history and tourism, development of alternative energy production and the exploitation of natural resources.

According to the developers, Mole Saint-Nicolas is located in the best possible location to take advantage of the channel of the wind and the depth of its coastal waters. The development of wind and solar renewable energy is a big potential.

Read more →  

I am getting sick and tired about the usual pictures that I see on TV, Newspaper, Youtube, and other medias whenever the Haiti subject comes up.

This is what I see for the most part: " We are doing a fundraising to buy shoes for Haitian children". "Donate so we can help the people of Haiti". "Fundraising to bring drinking water to Haiti". "Haiti the poorest nation in the western hemisphere".

Has this become a business?

Please don't take me wrong. There are real issues in Haiti. According to the latest study, some two-thirds of all Haitians are hungry. About 1.5 million Haitians face "severe" or "acute food insecurity.

Read more →  

With their belief that the Gospel cannot exist in tandem with misery CPFSI, and its founder Brother Franklin Armand, began a program that has turned life around for the inhabitants of one village in the Haitian city of Hinche.

With the entire country facing economic difficulties, exacerbated by the vicious cycle of agricultural deforestation, residents of Pandiassou, a small settlement in Haiti's Central Plateau, have benefited from the efforts of the missionary and their campaign to turn around the ability of the peasantry to sustain themselves in today's socio-economic climate.

Started over 25 years before, the Congregation of Little Brothers and Sisters of the Incarnate (CPFSI) first began by aiding the peasantry to feed itself. Once the immediate needs were met they set about making this abundance self-sustainable and stamping out the crippling dependency on food aid. What they established was a Konbit-like system of community farming that maximized the efficiency of the community's production. Unlike a traditional Konbit, the peasants are instrumental in the planning stages, which manifests in a more successfully cooperative undertaking.

Read more →  

Life expectancy is defined as the average number of years a group of people live who are born in same year assuming that future mortality at each year stays constant. Life Expectancy at Birth is a parameter used for measuring the quality of life in a country.

The population of Haiti surged significantly after 1900 but the life expectancy in Haiti is one of the lowest in entire world. Infant mortality and birth rate are very high in Haiti. There are several reasons which drive the life expectancy rate in Haiti. The Republic of Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. The country is plagued by poor nutrition and healthcare services in the country are inadequate. According to the World Food Programme of United Nations, over 80% of Haitian population live below the poverty line. As a result, malnutrition is a big problem in Haiti and around 50% of the Haitian children have been found to be undersized. According to statistics, less than 50% of Haitians can access clean and safe drinking water.

Read more →  

Haiti, the poorest country in Western Hemisphere has one of the highest population densities in the world. In 2010, the population of Haiti was 9.6 million and it is estimated to grow up to 13.4 million by the end of 2050, says the U.S. Census Bureau. The figures were given by International Data Base of U.S. Census Bureau that has a compilation of the estimated population as well as projected population for 227 countries.

According to the Haitian government, the devastating earthquake that had hit Haiti in 2010, claimed 230,000 lives, which was 3 times the total deaths that occurred in Haiti a year before. The population density value for Haiti in 2011 was 367.34 in 2011. Population density represents the number of people that live in one square kilometer of land area. This was the highest population density that was ever registered in Haiti in last 50 years.

Read more →  

Haiti is among one of the world's poorest countries and THE POOREST in Western Hemisphere. Not only that, Haiti also records the maximum child mortality rate in whole Western Hemisphere. One child among every 8 children Haiti dies before reaching the age of 5 years. This translates into 117 children out of 1,000 births die under the age of 5. What kills them? Haiti is plagued by enormous poverty. 80% of Haitian live under poverty line and this leads to serious malnutrition issues. Healthcare facilities are also severely crippled with only 11 nurses and 25 physicians available for attending every 100,000 people. As a result, even preventable diseases like pneumonia, tuberculosis, malaria and diarrhea manage to show their dirty dance and claim several lives. Apart from this environmental hazards and social violence are also responsible for high child mortality rate.

Read more →