Current Projects:
- Children’s Education Project: Providing scholarships for underprivileged and orphaned children.
- Helping Hand for Widows Project: Assisting widows financially to meet their daily needs and establish small, roadside businesses so that they can provide for their families.
- Disaster Relief Projects: Providing tarps, toiletries, and food during times of frequent earthquakes and hurricanes
THE NEED:
Haiti’s current population is more than 11 million. Haiti ranks as the most “food insecure” country in the Western Hemisphere, and the second most politically unstable country in the world. The majority of the population does not have ready access to safe drinking water, adequate medical care, or sufficient food. For most Haitians, daily life is a struggle for survival. The statistics on Haiti are alarming:
- 10% of children in Haiti will die before the age of 4.
- 7% (300,000) of the children in Haiti are enslaved as young as 3 years old! They often suffer sexual, emotional, and physical abuse and even death.
- 45% of the Haitian population is illiterate.
- 30% of the population is ill and/or underweight.
- 70% of the population lives below poverty level.
Land and Climate: Haiti covers 10,714 square miles of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. It is just a little smaller than the state of Maryland in the USA. Haiti is significantly mountainous. Its climate is warm and humid. The average temperature in the mountains is 66°F, while at Port-au-Prince it is 81°F. Spring and autumn are rainy; whereas December to February and June to August are dry.
Language: Haitian Creole is the language of daily conversation. French is used in government and business. Only the educated people speak French. Haitian Creole is a unique mixture of French and African languages.
Religion: 80% of Haitians are Catholic, while Protestants claim 16% or more of the population. The organized religion of Haiti is Voodoo (worship of spirits), which is practiced to some degree by a majority of Haitian Catholics.
Food: Haitians usually eat rice and beans every day, although a main meal will often include meat, salad and a vegetable. Rice and corn are staple grains. Spicy foods are most popular.
(Source: Culturegram, Vol.1, Orem, UT: Axiom Press, 2004).