INTL 190 - Haiti in a Transnational Context

Lack of Infrastructure

Due to the harsh natural environment and political environment, the living conditions of the Haitian people are very poor. The documentary Poto Mitan directly shows the living conditions of the Haitian people. They slept in a house with bullet holes in the walls. Most families, no matter how many people, generally have only one room. A river full of rubbish and plastic bottles is right in front of their house. In addition to roads and buildings damaged by natural disasters and war, many cities in Haiti do not have a central sewage system. Over 3 million people use outhouses. Lack of improved sanitation systems can lead to water pollution and outbreaks of diseases such as dengue, malaria and cholera. Although internet access and electricity are improving, it is very slow, with only about 12% of Haitians having access to the internet and about 44% having access to electricity. Faced with very high unemployment in Haiti, even in a very bad working environment — hundreds of people in an entire factory, regardless of gender using the same bathroom, they need to learn to live with it because there is always someone at the door willing to take your position. In Haiti, 85% of schools are run by private institutions, and the tuition fees charged by these institutions may be too expensive for low-income families. Schools charge twice of their minimum wage, making school unaffordable for most people. Nearly 180,000 children and adolescents across the country are still unable to attend primary and secondary schools. This has resulted in Haiti having the lowest literacy rate in the Western Hemisphere.

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