a bit of info to begin

I am sure many of you know more about Haiti than I do. I want to post a few facts to get us on the same page. I had actually signed up to go on this trip to Haiti not knowing much about the country.  When another church (my former church) in Iowa gave us the idea to get the congregation involved,  I decided I would want to know where,  why , what...you know.  so I did a bit of research so I could teach others as if I really knew what I was talking about.  So here are a few of the facts I was impressed with.

Haiti is a nation of about 9 million people.  It is located on 1/3 of the Island of Hispaniola....the other 2/3 is the Dominican Republic.  Haiti is known as the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.  It was colonized in the 1700's by the French and was used to grow sugar cane and export it and lumber to Europe. The French used slave labor on the plantations and many died due to the hard work and unending labor. (there is no winter to rest) After years of unrest and rebellion the slave population of Haiti was freed in 1804.  The nation since then has never been greatly prosperous.  Haiti is in the Caribbean hurricane belt and  suffered several major debilitating storms in the 2000's.  In January of 2010 Haiti had a 7/0 earthquake that was devastating to the country especially the capital of Port Au Prince.  There were many people killed and injured. Populations have shifted to the north of Port Au Prince since that time and recovery is ongoing with little villages of Samaritan Purse and other emergency housing still in use today.  The earthquake is assessed as the worst in the region for 200 years.

Eighty percent of Haitian claim to be Roman Catholic while the others claim protestant roots.  Of  all those  95% hold at least some Voodoo beliefs or superstitions.

The population is very young--37% of Haitians are younger than 14 (high birthrate)  59% are between 15-64 and just 3% are older than 65.  Haiti has undergone much political unrest with famous dictators Papa Doc and Baby Doc ravaging the country in the 1950's  They now have a new President and is watched over by the United Nations.

The island nation is located 700 miles off the coast of Miami and the size is slightly smaller than the state of Maryland.  Languages spoken include  Creole and French.