About Haiti
Located on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, Haiti is approximately 28,000
square kilometers. It shares the island with the Dominican Republic, which
occupies 2/3 of the island.
The Haitian territory is 72% mountainous, with a generally hot and humid
tropical climate.
Historically, Haiti holds the title of the first black republic in the world when
it declared independence from France in 1804 and was one of the wealthiest
colonies of the Caribbean from forestry and sugar-related industries at the
cost of deep environmental degradation and slavery. After its independence,
its history is dotted with chronic political violence and instability.
Today, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of
the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty.
Haiti News
Infrastructure
Photo: Conor Bohan
- 2/3 of Haitians live off the agricultural sector which is inefficient as
land and is highly eroded and prone to natural disasters, as attested
by the last 4 hurricanes in 2008 which severely devastated roads and
the agricultural sector.
- Haiti imports more than half of the food for national consumption at
increasingly exacerbating high prices, resulting in a high cost of living
and a chronic food crisis.
- Electricity service is only provided to 1/3 of the population and only for
2-3 hours out of the day.
- There is rampant migration into the cities creating large swathes of
slums (bidonvilles). Exodus to the cities increases annually by 42%
in metropolitan areas.
Photo: Conor Bohan
Conservation
Photo: Conor Bohan
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates
that only 1.5% of Haiti’s land is still forested compared to 60% in 1923.
Approximately, 30 million trees are cut down annually in Haiti, mainly to be used
for fuel.
Photo: Conor Bohan
- Due to extreme soil erosion, Haiti is one of the most environmentally
devastated countries in the world.
- 98% of the forests have been cut down.
- 70% of the land is not cultivable.
- 71% of the country’s energy comes from wood, and 96% of the
population uses wood and charcoal for fuel.
- 16,000 metric tons of arable land washes up to sea every year.
Photo: Conor Bohan
Education
Photo: Conor Bohan
- Children make up half of the population, as 42% of the population
is less than 15 years old. Thus, children are at the center of every
facet of the country.
- Of the school-aged students, 60 percent are enrolled in primary school,
but only 20 percent make it to high school while only 5 percent actually
graduate.
- The formal unemployment rate is 84%, and underemployment is
commonplace as the informal sector employs up to 93% of the
population of the non-agricultural sector.
Photo: Conor Bohan
Engage Yourself
The Haïti Expedition Project (“THEP”) is about actively immersing participants
in the field and truly engaging in international cooperation. To that end, the
THEP crew visited Haiti in the fall of 2009 and actively participated in three projects in
Haiti:
1. Education: through the Haitian Education Leadership Program
http://www.haitianeducation.org
2. Environment: through the Fondation Seguin
http://www.fondationseguin.org
3. Infrastructure: Visit to the Inter American Development Bank
headquarters in Haiti
http://www.iadb.org/countries/home.cfm?id_country=HA&language=English
To find out more about the trip, visit the THEP blog at http://thehaitiexpeditionproject.blogspot.com/
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