Haiti

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Haiti to rebuild their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. World Vision’s child sponsorship program plays a vital role in this partnership, with donors from the United States sponsoring more than 25,000 girls and boys. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit communities in Haiti. Highlights include:

• Improving children's health and education by providing 57,000 children with education and primary health care.
• Empowering farmers to improve farming practices through agriculture programs.
• Working to reduce food insecurity in vulnerable households. This program provides farmers with training in sustainable agriculture and improved access to health clinics.
• Continuing earthquake relief efforts and developing a long-term strategy to help rebuild Port-au-Prince.

World Vision began working in Haiti in 1959 through the sponsorship of 27 children at the Ebenezer Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, providing food, education, and the good news of Jesus Christ. Since then, some of World Vision’s major accomplishments have included:

• Providing relief supplies and starting reconstruction projects after Hurricane Flora destroyed crops in October 1963.
• Assisting over 20,000 adults and 12,590 children in the 1980s through emergency relief, child sponsorship efforts, and community development programs.
• Educating more than 800,000 Haitians in preventing and controlling the transmission of HIV and AIDS since 2003.
• Responding to severe flooding in 2004 with funding for basic necessities and clean water projects.
• Supporting seven healthcare clinics across the country since 2005, helping nearly 20,000 people.
• Distributing water, food, shelters, and other supplies to millions of Haitians displaced by the January 2010 earthquake.
• Responding to the 2010 cholera outbreak with proactive prevention education and support for local health services.

Geography and people

The Republic of Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Hispaniola is the second largest island in the Caribbean, sitting in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October. The original inhabitants of the area, the Taíno, named the island Ayiti, which means “land of high mountains.”

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

Most Haitians are descendents of West African slaves, with the rest of the population having a mix of European and African ancestry. French and Creole are the country’s two official languages, although the majority of Haitians speak Creole. English is often used in the business sector.

The Creole culture is a distinctive fusion of African, French, and West Indian elements. Haitians are particularly proud of their art, which has drawn international interest for its vitality and vivid colors.

In Haiti, children often marry at an early age. Because girls may marry as young as age 15, a sponsored child’s mother may be quite young.

History

Claimed for Spain by Columbus in 1492, Haiti became a Spanish and then French colony. A successful slave revolt in 1804 made Haiti the first black republic to declare independence. Haiti’s freedom from France, however, cost the nation millions of francs—a debt that sank the nation deep into poverty.

Violence and political instability marked much of the 1800s until Haiti declared bankruptcy in 1914. The United States Marines occupied the country in an effort to bring economic and democratic consistency to the country for the next 20 years. After experiencing a 30-year dictatorship and a series of troubled presidencies, Haitians elected René Préval as president in 2006.

In August and September 2008, a series of four powerful storms ripped through the country, affecting nearly 800,000 people. Then in January 2010, a 7.0 earthquake devastated the capitol city of Port-au-Prince, killing over 230,000 people and affecting an estimated 3 million people. In 2010, Haitians were also affected by a hurricane, a cholera outbreak, and disputed presidential elections.

Please pray for:

Wisdom and guidance for the government as the country continues to rebuild.

Children who do not have access to safe homes or education.