TEN FACTS ABOUT HAITI!

Here are ten things you need to know about Haiti:

1. The entire country of Haiti is roughly the size of the state of Maryland and has a population of approximately nine million people. Three million people live in Haiti’s capital of Port-Au-Prince.

2. The consequences of colonialism have left the nation marred by remnants of environmental degradation, cycles of extreme poverty and political instability. These factors make Haiti the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere.

3. In 1697, Spain ceded the western third of the island of Hispanola to the French, establishing Haiti. The French colony developed an industry based on the island’s rich natural resources and quickly became one of wealthiest Caribbean colonies, largely due to the heavy reliance on imported African slaves.

4. In the 17th century, Haiti’s nearly half million slaves revolted against the French under Toussaint L’OUVERTURE. In 1804, following a long struggle, Haiti declared independence from France and was established as the first black republic.

5. For thirty years Haiti suffered under the dictatorship of the Duvalier regime. Voodoo physician Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier declared himself “president for life” in 1956 and remained in power until his death 1971. Papa Doc’s tyranny was followed by his son, Jean Claude “Baby Doc” from 1971-1986. The Duvaliers were ousted in the mid-80s and replaced with a string of elected leaders, most of whom would be ousted and replaced; including Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide took office and was removed on three occasions from 1990-2004.

6. Political unrest and an underdeveloped economy have contributed to the poor infrastructure in Haiti. Lack of funding has left the majority of the roads in Port-Au-Prince with little or no maintenance for decades.

7. Haiti also lacks adequate health care, which leaves the country with a startlingly high mortality rate. Children are susceptible to malnutrition and diarrheal disease, both of which can be life threatening if left untreated. HIV/AIDS is prevalent among the adult population and has orphaned more than 200,000 children. The average life expectancy in Haiti is 61 years of age, versus an average of 77 years in the United States.

8. Sixty percent of Haiti’s population is under the age of 25. Nearly one million youth are expected to enter the job market in the next five years.

9. Eighty percent of Haiti’s population lives below the poverty line, earning less that two dollars a day. More than half of the population lives on less than one dollar a day. Two-thirds of the total labor force do not have formal jobs.

10. One percent of Haiti’s population owns nearly half of the country’s wealth, while the overwhelming majority lives in gravely impoverished conditions.


******I am currently collecting supplies from people who are willing to give. If you have any supplies that you want to send to Haiti but are not sure how to get it there, send me an email.

I have a friend who is going to Haiti in 4 weeks and he will take as many supplies that i give to him. This assures the supplies going straight to the people, rather than going through an organization.

Also Please pass the word that if people want to give money to Haiti, here is a way to get the most bang for your buck! Alison Thompson, will be going to Haiti. Go to: www.thethirdwavemovie.com to learn all about the 14 months Alison spent rebuilding a ...village in Sri Lanka post-tsunami. She also spent 9 months at Ground Zero post-9/11. Alison will take every penny with her to Haiti on Sun Jan 16 and will use it to buy water, food, and medical supplies. She'll work 18 hours/day. You can tell your friends to go to Paypal, enter her address:alisonthompson123@yahoo.com, then they can pay with credit cards if they don't have a PayPal account. Thank you! This is much more direct than Red Cross-no red tape!