Learn a Bit About Haiti

I came across this information about Haiti and found it quite interesting .... hopefully you will too!

Haiti is only 960 km SE of Miami (a 1 1/2 hour flight), yet worlds apart. Lying in the Caribbean Sea, just southeast of Cuba, Haiti occupies the western 1/3 of the island of Hispaniola, with the Dominican Republic occupying the eastern 2/3. Two hundred years ago, Haiti was a very prosperous French colony. Then, in 1804 the black slaves staged history's only successful black slave revolt, and the world's first black republic was born. Today, 95% of Haitians are black and 5% are whites, middle easterners and mulattos (the descendents of slave/slavemaster children). Despite their small numbers, mulattos make up 1/2 of the countries elite and control most of the country's economy. Haiti is an Indian word meaning "high ground." Two thirds of Haiti is covered with mountains. Deforestation is a huge problem in Haiti. Over 95% of the trees have been cut down and used for firewood (charcoal) and construction. The massive cutting of trees combined with the mountainous slopes has created an environmental and humanitarian nightmare. Massive erosion has led to decreased productivity of the land, which has in turn led to an increase in poverty and hunger. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and according to UN statistics, the second most food insecure nation in the world. More than 75-80% of the 7.3 million Haitians do not have enough food on a regular basis and only 20% of Haitians have access to safe drinking water. 75% of Haitians live below the World Bank's absolute poverty level. The annual income in Haiti is less than $250 per year. Cite Soleil, a slum in Port au Prince, has 200,000 people "living" in desperately inhumane conditions on 5 square kilometers of land. The Human Development Index for Haiti (which measures longevity, knowledge and standard of living) is the lowest of any country outside of Africa. Haiti's predominate religion is a mix of Catholicism and voodoo; Operation World states that voodoo in Haiti is a 'pervasive evil that affects every level of society'. The infant mortality rate is over 97 per 1,000 live births, compared with approximately 3 per 1,000 in Canada. Despite mandatory school attendance, UNICEF has found that less than 20% of Haitian children actually attend secondary-school and only 4% of those actually graduate. 80% of the population is illiterate. Many Haitians, adults as well as children, live in conditions which are worse than most pets in North America. Haitian children grow up in a society plagued by political unrest, fears, superstitions, witchcraft, illiteracy, and poverty. Yet despite the obstacles which the Haitian people face, they maintain a sense of dignity and pride which is very amazing and inspiring to witness. Haitians maintain a sense of hope and respect in the face of grinding poverty. This sense of hope in the face of such desperate poverty is summed up by what was written on a T-shirt worn by a Haitian lady walking through a desperately poor area of Port au Prince, "Despite all of my problems, I am proud to be Haitian." Information was "copied and pasted" from Haiti's Children Home website