Haiti Was Hungry Before the Quake

Even before the big quake, Haiti was in dire straits.  It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.  Haiti's GDP (PPP) per capita is about $800 with most people living on less than $2 per day, compared to the United States' GDP of nearly $47,000.  There is a shortage of skilled workers, 66% of its workforce are engaged in agriculture, and 2/3 of the people are unemployed.  If that is not tragic enough, 80% of the people live below the poverty line.  Half of this island nation's children do not receive vaccinations and 60% of the population do not have access to basic health care.  Additionally, Haiti has a literacy rate of only 50%.  It appears to be a nearly hopeless situation.

Who are the hardest hit by this level of poverty?  The children.  Not only are half of the children unvaccinated, but also nearly 50% of Haiti's children die before the age of fifteen.  Many children endure homelessness, hunger, and abuse.  Children have become so hungry that they have resorted to eating "mud pies", a mixture of mud and oil baked in the sun. Anything not to feel the pain and suffering starvation.  It is estimated that 44 children die HOURLY in Haiti.  That was BEFORE the earthquake.

Now imagine on top of all of this poverty and suffering, the insufficient level infrastructure that existed has now been nearly annihilated after a 7.0 earthquake and a 6.0 aftershock.  The outcome is dismal.  No, impossible.  Unless you and I do something to help these people and their children.



"The current situation in Haiti is dire. With the price of basic food staples in Haiti rising 40--50% in the past year, hunger continues to grow and the people are growing increasingly desperate. At Food For The Poor's main feeding center in Port-au-Prince, approximately 15,000 people are fed six days a week--and it's still not enough.


Presently, an estimated 80% Haitians live in abject poverty. The spike in food prices threatens to make things worse. In recent days, the desperation has given way to violence and rioting. Thousands are taking to the streets protesting the crisis.


You have the power to help; the power to change the life. A gift of only $12 can feed a family for a month. Please help:  http://www.foodforthepoor.org/. "

Sources of information: CIA Factbook, Wikipedia, & http://www.chrf.org/haiti.html