Haiti

Geography & people

The Republic of Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Sitting in the middle of the hurricane belt, Hispaniola is the second largest island in the Caribbean. It is subject to severe storms from June to September.

Natural resources include copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble and hydropower.

Most Haitians are descendants of West African slaves. The remaining population has a mix of European and African ancestry. The two official languages are French and Creole, although the majority of people speak Creole.

Fast facts

  • Haiti is the least developed country in the western hemisphere and one of the world’s poorest.
  • More than 120,000 people live with HIV/AIDS – the highest rate in the Americas.
  • Around two thirds of the labour force are unemployed.
  • The 2010 earthquake destroyed most the country’s capital – Port-au-Prince – and killed 220,00. Millions were left homeless.
  • Land right issues and rubble removal have complicated earthquake relief and rebuilding efforts, with transitional homes and shelters used as a stopgap.

Our focus in Haiti

In Haiti, around 80% of the population live below the poverty line. The income gap between the impoverished Creole speaking majority and the more affluent French speaking minority is huge. The country is also plagued with natural disasters, including hurricanes, flash floods and earthquakes. Fears of natural disasters and the devastation they bring is very real.

We established an office in Port au Prince in 1978. Since then our long-term development programmes have focused on child wellbeing and community development. We have also provided relief supplies after natural disasters, including the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Highlights of work include:

  • Providing food assistance to more than 2.5 million children and parents, shelter for more than 200,000 homeless, and life-saving medical supplies to 412,500 people for years after the 2010 earthquake.
  • Since the earthquake, we have shifted our response towards sustainable building and have helped 25,500 people move out of tents into safer accommodation. Twenty new schools have also been built.
  • Communities are also being rebuilt and food security improved through cash- or food-for-work programmes.

Our achievements in Haiti

We have also achieved the following, helping children and their families live free from the fear of hunger, illness and lack of opportunities:

Food security

  • Families have been provided with seeds, cuttings and livestock to produce their own food and use as a source of income.
  • Fruit trees and seedlings have been planted to overcome widespread deforestation, enabling farmers to grow crops on more fertile soil.

Child protection

  • School directors have been trained in child psychology to help them create peaceful learning environments for children after the stress of the 2010 earthquake.

Education

  • We have made scholarships available and provided tutoring for vulnerable children to help them stay in school.

Livelihoods

  • We have worked with community businesses to start income-generating projects, including a cassava-processing factory.

Health

  • 57,000 children now have access to primary healthcare. We have also supplied food and medical assistance for orphans and vulnerable children and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Water

  • Community wells have been repaired and cistern builds to improved access to safe water.