Haiti - A Country in Dire Need

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Last year when I was there we went to a kindergarten graduation. The ceremony was three hours long and there was a huge party afterward. The Kindergarten graduation is the biggest celebration of any life event in Haiti because many kids don't live to the age of five and of those who do live getting to go to school is even rarer.

During the 2008 hurricane season, four tropical storms struck Haiti, which resulted in torrential rains, extensive flooding and mudslides, and hundreds of reported casualties. The lack of governmental infrastructure and rescue services combined with impassable roads and bridges severely hindered rescue and relief efforts. In late August and September 2008, heavy rains and gale-force winds from hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike pelted the country's coastline and interior causing heavy flooding and mudslides. In the aftermath of the storms, eight of the country's nine departments reported significant physical and economic devastation. The storm damage came on the heels of the civil unrest in April 2008 regarding the already dismal economic conditions in the country.