Haiti facts

After reading about the current facts below about the dire situation facing the Haitian people, go to What does MAF do? page to read about how MAF is confronting these great needs and enabling ministry partners to bring about physical and spiritual transformation


History and Geography

• Population almost entirely descendants of West African slaves
• Was French slave colony until 1804, when slaves successfully revolted and won their independence - making it the second country in the Americas, besides the USA, to free itself from colonial rule  
• "Haiti" name came from original inhabitants called the Taino people, who occupied the island prior to Spanish occupation after Christopher Columbus discovered island of Hispaniola in 1492. "Ayiti" in Taino meant, "Mountainous land"
• The countries landscape has been exploited through this process and has led to deforestation and erosion

Poverty

• Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere

              - Ranked 168 out of 187 on the Human Development
                Index (UNDP 2015)
              - 59% of population lives on less than $2/day (World
                Bank 2012)
              - Over 2/3 of population do not have formal jobs (CIA
                Factbook 2014)

• With a national population of 10.3 million, there were an estimated 380,000 orphans before the earthquake of 2010.  That number has doubled since the earthquake in recent estimations.  Over 50% of the population is 18 years old or younger (USAID 2015)

Education

• 50% of children do not attend formal school

              - 60% abandon school by 6th grade (UNICEF 2008)
              - 30% abandon school by 3rd grade (UNICEF 2008)

•  80% of teachers have not received any pre-service training (USAID 2015)
•  90% of primary schools are non-public operated by NGO's, communities and religious organizations (USAID 2007)
• Literacy rate among males is 61-64%, and 57% for females.  The average literacy rate in Latin America/Caribbean is 92% (World Bank 2015)

Nutrition

• Less than 50% of households have access to clean water (World Food Programme)
• Less than 25% have adequate sanitation (World Food Programme)
• Although agriculture is an important sector of Haiti's economy, the country fails to produce enough food and imports more than 50% of its population needs.  It imports more than 80% of its staple meal: rice (World Food Programme)

                 - 90% of farmers depend on rain for irrigation of their crops