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Land of Poverty, a Field for Missions
The Country of Haiti
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SUMMARY 
Haiti is a complex mix of a number of factors that make up the whole of the country. Looking at one aspect does not give the viewer a complete picture. Statistics and numbers do not accurately convey the essence of the country's heart --- the people. Basically Haiti is a country that is still evolving. It experiences tremendous hardship and oppression, and it is continually trying to form a more stable government structure that will serve the people as well as it does itself. There is a lot of beauty in Haiti, but it is masked in many ways. Explore just these few facts presented here, but do not overlook the fact that Haiti possesses a wealth of potential. It has a long way to go, yet the road can be smoother with greater awareness of the multiple problems and their various causes that continue to plague Haiti today.
Although Haiti's history begins when the island of Hispaniola was divided into two countries and the subsequent gaining of its freedom from France in 1804, Haiti's real history, the heart of its origins and struggle begins in 1492 with the "discovery" of the island by the explorer Christopher Columbus.
Columbus sailed from Spain across the Atlantic Ocean to an island just north of the Caribbean Sea in search of the famed mineral and spice rich West Indies. The island at which he landed in December 1492, Columbus named Hispaniola. About one third of the western portion of the island is what is known today as Haiti. The country's name was adopted from the Arawak Indian word Ahiti meaning high or mountainous land. Christopher Columbus described the island of Hispaniola in his ship's log as
"the most beautiful thing I have ever seen ...
there is no one who can describe it,
and no one who can believe it,
if he does not see it."
Nearly all Haitians are descendants of the 480,000 African slaves who fought for and won their freedom at Haiti's declaration of independence in 1804. The Arawak Indians that inhabited the island upon Columbus' arrival were harshly treated as "savages" and pushed to near extinction by the Spanish and French invasions in the years to follow. By the middle of the 17th century the island became a French colony which flourished in the European market with its valuable resources of cocoa, cotton, sugar cane, and coffee. By 1780, Haiti was one of the wealthiest regions in the world. With a successful slave revolt in 1791, Napoleon was ousted by the haitians in 1804, and General Dessalines declared himself Emperor. After the assassination of Dessalines in 1806, Henri Christophe, an illiterate ex-slave ruled in the north and Alexandre Petion, a mulatto, ruled in the south. When Christophe died in 1820, the north and south united. Then in 1844 the island was split, east to west, into two countries, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Haiti was in a state of anarchy. Poverty was increasing, and there was no one with the support or ability to rule and govern fairly for many years. America tried to fix many of the problems the country faced during its years of occupation in the early 1900's, but with no major or lasting affect. Then in 1957 Francois Duvalier, "Papa Doc," declared himself "President for life." Duvalier ruled the country with a strict and terrible regime, which, although it strengthened and organized the government into a cohesive structure, did nothing to help the people.
Upon the death of Duvalier, his nineteen-year-old son Jean Claude, "Baby Doc," came into power. Trying to follow in his father's wake with the same kind of domineering rule, Jean Claude was finally exiled to France in 1986. Haiti then went through a series of massacres, rigged elections, and five different governments. In 1990 Jean Bertrand Aristide, a priest from the slums of Port-au-Prince, was elected president by 67 percent of the people. A military coup in 1991, however, ended Aristide's presidency and he went into exile. Aristide returned to power in Haiti in 1994 bringing an increased level of productivity and quality to Haitian industries. The work ethic and pride of poor Haitians seemed to rise with the prospects of expanded employment opportunities. The country is currently operating under the administration of President Rene Garcia Preval. In opposition to the military coup, and in accordance with local graffiti on the walls of the city, Aristide's return to power once again is anticipated in the election of 2000. Haiti is still using the 1987 constitution that gives executive power to the president being directly elected for a five-year term and assisted by a 19 member cabinet subject to legislative approval. The governing bodies are the 83 member Chamber of Deputies, each serving a four-year term, and the 27 member Senate, each serving a six year term. For more detailed and extensive information
hop in a taxi to the Information Center at:
Country Fact book
OR
Haiti History
(Don't forget your passport, so you can return to Haiti!)
The western third of the island that makes up the country of Haiti is comprised of five mountain ranges, one navigable river, and two major lakes, one of which contains fresh water. Two fifths of the total land area (10,579 sq. mi.) of Haiti has an elevation of 1600 feet above sea level. The climate is tropical, yet it can vary greatly from region to region. On the western tip of the southern peninsula, rainfall can reach up to 144 inches annually, while only some 24 inches is received on the southwest coast of the northern peninsula. Port-au-Prince, the capital and largest city, is located at sea level and maintains an average temperature of 80 degrees F year round, going upwards of 94 in July and down to a tepid 87 in January. The geography of Haiti gives it both its beauty and its problems. Depending upon the area, Haiti is troubled by hurricanes, destructive storms, frost, and drought.
Haiti's shoreline is irregular with many natural harbors. The Artibonite River is the country's largest river allowing for the greatest navigation through its 174 mile length. The three productive agricultural regions of Haiti are the Plaine du Nord, the Artibonite River valley, and the Cul-de-Sac. The Plaine du Nord, or Northern Plain, is the largest fertile lowland covering 150 miles. The Cul-de-Sac contains the country's largest saltwater lake, Saumatre, and Peligre Lake, the largest freshwater lake, which is formed by a dam on the upper Artibonite River.
Some of the pine forests and wild coconut palms, avocado, mango, lime, and orange trees, along with the mangrove tress on the coastline, remain fruitful in Haiti today. Yet Haiti's forests have mostly been cleared for farming or for wood which is used for making charcoal. Scattered areas of tropical rain forest still boast their mahogany, cedar, and rosewood trees. Erosion and deterioration has had a severe impact on Haiti's plants, animals, soil, and water resources. Large quantities of silt washed down from the mountains threatens the tropical reefs surrounding the island.
Coffee, the principal cash crop making up one tenth of Haiti's export revenue, and cacao trees are scattered across the mountains, while most of the farmland produces sugarcane, sisal, cotton, and rice. Forest vegetation once covered Haiti. Now, it encompasses only about one tenth of the total land area. Haiti's growing population (one of the greatest rates of growth population in the Caribbean) and continued deforestation would seem to prohibit any re-establishment of wildlife.
Bauxite was Haiti's most valuable mineral. Mining of bauxite, as well as small quantities of copper, salt, and gold has not proved to be economically viable in recent years. Only twenty percent of Haiti is considered able to be cultivated. Two fifths of Haiti's electricity is generated by the hydro-electric plants located along the Artibonite. The silting from some reservoirs due to soil erosion has reduced the electrical generating capacity. Haiti primarily gets its electricity from imported fuels.
Haiti's political climate has been turbulent in recent years. To understand the structure of governmental politics in Haiti, one might need to go back further than the Constitution adopted in 1987. Since the administration of President Francois Duvalier in 1957 the organization of the parliamentary government has been unstable. By the middle of the 17th century when the entire island was still a French colony, its invaluable resources of cocoa, sugar cane, cotton, and coffee flourished in the European market. By 1780, Haiti was one of the wealthiest regions in the world. Napoleon was ousted in 1804, Dessalines was assassinated in 1806, Petion ruled the south and Christophe the north until his death in 1820 when the north and south united. In 1844 the island itself was then split into two countries, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Haiti was in a state of anarchy, poverty was increasing, and there was no one with the support or ability to rule and govern fairly for many years. America tried to fix many of the problems the country faced during the occupation years in the early 1900's, but with no major affect. Then in 1957 Francois Duvalier, "Papa Doc," declared himself "President for life." Duvalier ruled the country with a strict and terrible regime, which, although it strengthened and organized the government into a cohesive structure, did nothing to help the people. Upon the death of Duvalier, his nineteen-year-old son Jean Claude, "Baby Doc," came into power. Trying to follow in his father's wake with the same kind of domineering rule, Jean Claude was finally exiled to France in 1986. Haiti then went through a series of massacres, rigged elections, and five different governments. In 1990 Jean Bertrand Aristide, a priest from the slums of Port-au-Prince, was elected president by 67 percent of the people. A military coup in 1991, however, ended Aristide's presidency and he went into exile. Aristide returned to power in Haiti in 1994 bringing an increased level of productivity and quality to Haitian industries. The work ethic and pride of poor Haitians seemed to rise with the prospects of expanded employment opportunities.
The election in 2000 should prove to be an interesting one. Upon our leaving Haiti in January of 1999, President Preval had just "disowned" the Parliament. Again political tension and disorganization seem to dominate the governmental positions. The general consensus was that political leaders seemed to spend more time talking to and about themselves, and not enough time listening and helping the people whom they serve. Sound familiar?
Money, money, money! Haiti's economy is fueled by the domination of foreign money and the exploitation of domestic labor. Because of Haiti's limited mineral resources, the country's mineral industries are mostly limited to building materials, which are used locally. Haiti's Gross National Product index is the lowest in the world. It is a developing market economy. Manufacturing produces one eighth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs one twentieth of the workforce. They specialize in assembling imported components such as baseballs, clothing, footwear, electronic equipment, and cassettes. Other manufacturing includes flour, cement, and cigarettes.
Agriculture makes up one third of the GDP and employs tree fifths of the workforce with subsistence farming predominating. One fourth of the rural population have no land at all. Production of most foodstuffs falls short of the domestic demand. Four fifths of the country's food is imported. Chief staples such as rice, corn, and sweet potatoes are double cropped. The handicraft industry is an important source of income for many Haitians. Houses in the shantytowns of Port-au-Prince double as shops where artisans carve wood, weave cloth, or make a variety of other handicrafts to sell to tourists.
Daily life in Haiti is a struggle. Only about forty percent of the more than one million eligible children actually attend school, and some fifty-three percent of the entire population is illiterate. School classes are taught in French, deepening the gap between the elite and the poor (90 percent of which speak Creole). Health, education, and housing are appalling for most people in Haiti, where unemployment is an astonishing 75 percent. Life expectancy in Haiti is only 45 years for males, 47 years for females, and incidences of various diseases is extremely high. The rural population (about 80 percent of the total populace) lives either in dispersed huts of in villages of four to ten families. Most of the homes are one or two roomed thatched cottages with walls of bamboo or other light brush coated with mud and lime. The poor without their own land have even less substantial huts in which to live, while the few who are better off "aspire" to homes with corrugated iron roofs and verandahs.
The elite mulattos identify little with the plight of the poor, and they have traditionally resisted all attempts to restructure the Haitian economic and social systems.
Mission opportunities abound in Haiti. Working within the current structures in place, however, makes it difficult to make a lasting change in the devastating situations found throughout Haiti. Haiti is the only independent French speaking republic in the Americas. Its population is estimated at over 7 million people, encompassed within its nearly 11,000 square miles. Two fifths of the population is under the age of fifteen. The country's birth rate and death rate are high. It has the unfortunate status of being the poorest country in the Americas, perhaps the world. Being in this position makes Haiti heavily dependent upon foreign aid. External trade is dominated by the United States which supplies one half of Haiti's imported goods. The U.S. also receives approximately three fourths of Haiti's exports. Excellent work is being done to help the people of Haiti, however some of the efforts are made more difficult due to oppression and control by those with wealth, power, and position.
Click on the Teacher Icon at the top or bottom of this page and travel to the various sites that are attempting to work with the systems and structures of Haiti to better the lifestyle and future of the Haitian people. Maybe after experiencing some of the efforts taking place, you may want to lend a hand or help out in some way to further the cause. May God bless you as you explore where you fit in the experience of Haiti.
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Land of Poverty, a Field for Missions
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