Sponsor with Compassion

Haiti occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. Although it is tropical, mountains cut Haiti off from the moist trade winds that water the side of the island occupied by the Dominican Republic. The climate varies between humid lowlands and arid uplands, and about two-thirds of Haiti's rough terrain is unsuitable for farming.

Haiti is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and is the poorest in the Americas. Most Haitians are subsistence farmers who cultivate small plots of land around their mud-and-thatch homes. These homes are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes, which have devastated Haiti in the past, in particular in 2010, when the capital of Port-au-Prince was hit by a powerful seismic shock.

In 1492, Columbus landed on Hispaniola, and the island became the centre of Spanish rule in the West Indies. Soon, the majority of the Indigenous people had died by disease or at the hand of the Spaniards, and slaves were brought from Africa to populate the island. Later, the French took possession of the island. In 1804, the island won independence as the republic of Haiti. Forty years later, the eastern part of the island split off as the Dominican Republic. Since then, Haiti has had a troubled history. In 1991 a military coup forced thousands to seek asylum in the U.S. In 1994, the president returned from exile, and military rule was abolished. Later, instability forced the president to flee the country again in 2004, and an international stabilization team was sent to help keep order. Elections resumed in 2006.