Facts about Haiti:
-Haiti occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola (originally discovered by Christopher Columbus). The
    remainder of the island is occupied by the Dominican Republic.
-The country is 10,714 square miles in area.  Much of the land is mountainous.  The population is 8,924,553
    (2008 estimate) making the population density of 839 persons per square mile.
-Diseases such as intestinal parasites and AIDS plague the country.
-Only 54% of the population has access to clean drinking water and 30% access to sanitary sewer systems.
-The life expectancy is 58 years.
-61% of the population lives in rural areas.
-Poor farming practices have depleted the soil.
-Most of the native animals in Haiti were hunted into extinction long ago.
-Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
-Only 55% of the adult population is literate.
-Average daily wage is $1 a day
-About 10% of the professional elite enjoy a affluent lifestyle.  They have always resisted any attempts to
    restructure the Haitian social system.
-According to a recent UNICEF study 117 out of 1000 children will die before they reach 5 years old
Information compiled from MSN Encarta Encyclopedia


These first nine photos are examples of various types of homes Haitians might live in.
The 2 photos above and the one below were taken in Cite Soleil near the capital of Port Au Prince. As you can see this area was once a landfill. About 18 inches of dirt was dumped over the trash and then people were allowed to build homes on top it.
The woman in this photo as well as the one at the top of this page made large pots of rice and beans to sell to people on the street.  The green rectangular chest to the right on this photo is actually an old refrigerator laying on its side and serving used as a cooler. 
A charcoal stove made from rebar.
This woman has set up a convenience type store.  You see these all over Haiti.  They sell candy, gum, small packages of cookies or crackers, cigarettes etc. to people on the street.
A Haitian form of a snow cone maker.  This gentleman would shave ice off the ice block with a rasp and then add flavoring from one of those lovely bottles on his cart.
These men are working like horses pulling and pushing this cart.  They tend not live as long because of the stress they put on their hearts.
This photo and the next 4 show Haitians using motorcycles to get around as well as to transport items.  With the price of gas somewhere around $8 a gallon it is more economical to get around on motorcycles.
This gentleman is transporting a refrigerator.
Transporting bags of garlic cloves.
There are 5 people on this cycle.  3 adults and 2 children.
Haitians bathing and washing their clothes in the river.
A Haitian woman washing clothes.
A young child hanging clothes to dry.
The tall tubular bag standing in the foreground contains charcoal that is for sale.
Due to a lack of money you will often see unfinished homes.  As a family can afford it they will put cinder block homes together in stages.  You often see homes with the walls constructed but no roof.  They may sit like this for years as evidenced by the growth of brush and grass inside the home.