Visit To Haiti

In conclusion, I am thankful for the opportunities that I have received in the United States to build and follow my dreams. Indeed, I am genuinely proud of where I am in life today. Nevertheless, I have a sweet spot for Haiti. The nostalgic memories will forever remain in my

The Republic of Haiti has a unique and vibrant culture. It was once hailed as the "Pearl of the Antilles" for being the wealthiest colony in the world. This small Latin American island tells a story of slaves enduring resistance to the some of the most dominant forces abroad. In 1804, Haiti became the first free black republic and the second post-colonial country in the Americas. However, the days of being the wealthiest colony have since passed. Haiti is now considered to be the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere. The proud history of this country is overshadowed by alarming rates of poverty, violence, and inequality. This island nation’s government has been plagued with numerous military staged coups and misfortunes. I

From the start life has always been a battlefield for me and my family. In Haiti my father had studied to become an engineer despite his poor upbringing and my mother had worked multiple jobs to help support the family. Life in Haiti had already been tough but after a coup d’état and an election there was finally hope that Haitians would have to live under a repressive government no longer. The new government created hope which was then solidified when Duvalier announced his candidacy, by this time he was already a well-known physician that took part in many public health campaigns. My father remembers when Duvalier was elected, with promises of rebuilding a broken country and the happiness that followed, but this did not last. Shortly after

On January twelfth 2010, a deadly earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 hit the coast of Port au prince, Haiti for 35 seconds, killing around 200,000 and leaving approximately to 1.5 million of the population homeless including kids who became orphans and vice versa in a matter of less than a minute. Before the earthquake, the way of life was not as bad as portrayed back at home, most of the news broadcasted in the mainstream media were exaggerated news, negative light and unfair tales to make Haiti look inferior.

Haiti has a very interesting history of culture and religion. Currently, while Roman Catholicism is the official religion, Voodoo can be considered the national religion; about half of all Haitians practice it. This culture and religious history – and current practice – is essential in understanding one of the most important genres of music in Haiti; Rara.

Haiti Now was founded in 2010 by Alex Lizzappi. A successful Miami businessman today, Alex’s childhood was a very different story. His desire to help the Restavek children of Haiti is a reflection of his own life experiences and his understanding of how a child without a social network and social net worth can be left behind, regardless of their intelligence or potential.

Specific Haitian recipes have been passed along from generation to generation and when a person mentions one Haitian dish, most likely everyone will know exactly what

Haiti was once the first black independent republic in the world and the richest island in the Caribbean. Today Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest countries in the world. What could have happened to Haiti in almost two hundred years of history? The country experienced repeated civil war and foreign intervention. Haiti is not isolated from the international world. Thus, it was not out of concern for ordinary Haitians that the United States intervened in Haiti. It was out of concern for profit and stability within the United States' own backyard. The purpose of this paper is to show the negative aspect that the United States had played in the government of Haiti.

Living on an island with two third world countries; the Dominican Republic and Haiti, I’ve seen firsthand the major differences between both of them. The Dominican Republic has evolved from a Spanish colony, while Haiti was originally French. Throughout the years, Haiti has become known for suffering from poverty, misery, and distress. Pauperism has become a huge issue for the Haitians and prosperity of the country as a whole due to a lack of health, education, and social services.

Unlike most of Latin America, Haiti’s main colonizing power was France, not Spain or Portugal, after France was given one-third of Hispaniola. To this day you can see the lasting effects of colonialism in Haiti especially in comparison to the Dominican Republic which shares the same island. While Haiti, formerly Saint Domingue under French control, was at one time the world’s wealthiest sugar and coffee producer, the tides have changed in terms of Haiti’s economy and it is now one of the worst off in terms of measurement of GDP per capita and income inequality. This change largely took place after the Haitian revolution, which transformed Haiti’s economy to a rural subsistence economy, instead of the capital-intensive plantation economy it had been. As other states, including neighboring DR, developed competitive commodity industries, Haiti never jumped on that export-led growth path and there was overall less investment making its way to Haiti in comparison to other states in the region. Also, Haiti was not a part of the “Golden Age” period of Latin America from 1950-1973. With a brief understanding of Haiti’s background, a more solid understanding of their economic performance, challenges, assets and current conditions can be developed further.

My thoughts and aspirations towards my future not only involve my success, but the success of the world around me as result of my education. I strive to become a person who utilizes his knowledge to help others succeed. After recently completing my first mission trip to Haiti this past summer I realized that this is what I aspire to do with my life. I went to a place of poverty and sickness, and envisioned solutions that would solve some of the issues that are plaguing Haiti. This defining moment happened while I was sitting in a temporary shelter, I realized how desperate the living conditions were for these people, and at that moment I was moved to help, but how? I was a seventeen year old boy with minimal experience and lack of funding

When I think of Haiti I think of music, waves crashing and beautiful homes and places to be but, all I know is that Haiti is in the Caribbean islands and it is an island. My parents have not gone to or lived in Haiti so my parents have no idea of what it looks like. But the thing that makes me feel bad is that people think that Haiti looks very poor but they are wrong.

Off the Gulf of Mexico, lies one of the most densely populated and least developed countries in the Western Hemisphere with a population of almost 10 million people. The country faces many natural disaster and challenges, including a poor educational system, lack of sanitary water access, and inferior living conditions. This country is Haiti.

It was stated by the Global Exchange that in order to raise exports, countries are incentivized to provide tax reductions and subsidies to export industries. Public assets such as woodland and government utilities are sold to foreign investors at extremely low prices. The IMF has compelled Haiti to open its market to the imported greatly subsidized US rice. However, on the other hand it has prevented Haiti from subsidizing the local farmers. A US corporation called Early Rice is at present offering almost 50 percent of the rice which is used in Haiti. The IMF has also been criticized for the absence of transparency and accountability in their activities. The IMF is financed with the money of taxpayers, however operates behind closed doors. Members of the communities who have been affected by their policies do not take part in the decision making of conditions of the loans. The IMF has also denied the recommendation for public scrutiny.

The devastating earthquake has not only destroyed the tourism infrastructure, but also shadowed a future of the sector, changed people’s perceptions and demonstrated the destination image as an insecure and anxious. Although having moderate level of infrastructure in the country, Haiti’s tourism is a vital and increasing factor to the economic growth. Travel and tourism industries contributed to 7.4% of GDP and 5.8% of total employment of the country (ibid “USAID”). Improvement of the sector is very crucial for the country and Caribbean regions as tourism sector employs more than 65 thousand of employment in the country as of 2010 (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2010a).