Sugar - Haiti Observer Blog

Trou-du-Nord is a cityship, capital of the Trou-du-Nord Arrondissement, and part of Nord Est Department. It lies in the northeast region of Haiti, with a population of 37,405 residents living in three sub-divisions, Garcin, Roucou and Roche-Plate.

The education system has a smattering of primary and secondary schools, whose students need sponsorships to pay tuition and school supplies. The primary organization offering sponsorships is the L'eglise Baptiste Trou-du-Nord Church, funding the education of 300 schoolchildren at its eponymous school.

The most pressing health challenge in Trou-du-Nord is the presence of malaria that is everywhere. The American Red Cross has a distribution program, whereby it hands out bed-nets to child-bearing women and young children. The program has been an enormous success, lowering the cases of the lethal illness significantly.

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Haitian American Sugar Company, SA (HASCO) was one of the largest refineries in Haiti. It operated from 1912 to 1987, making it the country's oldest sugar refinery at that time. HASCO was an American business venture aimed at producing and selling sugar and other sweet products in Haiti, as well as in the United States. It was owned by Charles Steinham, Franck Copay and John Christie, who registered the company with $5 million in capital.

HASCO's operation in Haiti was not always smooth. As a matter of fact, it was affected by a political turmoil in the country in 1915. Like other American businesses in the country, HASCO reeled from the effects of the country's political challenges. Such challenges posed danger to foreign ventures in the country and it was believed to have been the cause of the U.S. marine invasion in 1915. The U.S. occupation lasted for 19 years.

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