Haiti
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. 80% of the population lives in abject poverty – more than half exist on less than 1 US dollar a day.
With almost 50% of the country’s population under the age of 18, Haiti’s uncertain future lies in the hands of its youth. Yet almost 1 in 3 children are not expected to reach age 40. And education and child development remain a distant priority in a land devastated by violence, political corruption, environmental degradation – and more recently, the massive earthquake.
Haiti’s public education system is incapable of meeting population demands. Private schooling accounts for 88% of all schools in Haiti, thus excluding a large majority of low-income families. Primary school enrollment rates are less than 50%, while only 15% attend secondary school.
Children who can afford to go to school do so under deplorable circumstances. In urban areas, armed gangs walk the streets where children have been kidnapped on their way to school. In rural areas, children have to walk so far to and from school every day that many drop out before the end of the school year, as their parents can’t afford to replace the sandals they have already worn out.
And everywhere, hunger has become a greater threat than ever, as many children are forced to survive without eating for days at a time.
Haiti’s literacy rate stands at only 53%, and the country is desperately lacking skilled professionals. Unless more resources are directed towards educating its 4 million youth, Haiti will only continue to fall behind other developing nations.
Did you know:
● More than 3 million people – one in every three Haitians – were severely affected by the earthquake.
● 87% of Haiti’s schools were impaired or destroyed.
● The Haitian government spends only 1.1% of its GDP on education.
● The average cost of private primary school tuition, including books and uniforms, is $135/year, an enormous burden in a country with a per capita income of $450.
● The student-teacher ratio in primary level schools is 46:1.
● The percent of primary school teachers with training is only 20%.