More Haiti facts

I have ask some of my friends to check out my blog and to give me their honest opinion. Since I'm new to blogging I am open to any suggestions and value their input. One of my friends laughed and pointed out that I spent most of last year in the Bahamas but the majority of my posts are about Haiti and asked why. The reason I have spent most my time writing about Haiti is because I'm getting ready to go back there so it is a major focus in my life right now. I do plan on sharing my experience in the Bahamas but that will be later.
More Haiti Facts:

Haitian coins

One US dollar is equal to 42 Haitian Gourde. The average household income in Haiti is 250 American dollars a year. It use to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, after the earthquake on January 12, 2010 it was declared to be the poorest country in the world. It is estimated that at least 80% of the population lives below the poverty line.

Haitian dollars

To give you an idea of the size of Haiti, it is slightly smaller than Maryland. (I got most of my facts from the CIA world factbook). The island it is located on is called Hispaniola and is shared with the Dominican Republic. Haiti occupies 1/3 of the western side while the eastern side is the DR. As of July 2012 the population was 9,801,664 with almost 35% of the population being under the age of 15.

More than half of Haitian children do not attend school and most of the people are illiterate. Going to school in Haiti is very expensive because more than 90% of the schools are private. The teachers at these private schools are often illiterate themselves and as a result, the children finish school not having the knowledge and skills to pass the university entrance exams. It's hard to even imagine having a teacher that is illiterate trying to teach children but it is a fact of life for them. The state-run schools are rapidly deteriorating as the number of children continues to outgrow the funding.

This is a school in the mountains

Yes this is an actual school

These children are the future of Haiti and if something isn't done then it will only get worse, though it's hard to imagine how it could get any worse. I know it seems like an impossible task but one village at a time and with God's help things can change for the better.