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A major obstacle to education in Haiti is the financial burden
placed upon parents. In theory, public schools from primary to
university levels are free, but parents are nevertheless required
to pay 26-30% of the school costs for uniforms and school material.
Since 85% of schools in Haiti are private, parents must struggle
to pay tuition costs.
In Haiti there are so few public schools that only about half
of school-aged children ever attend school. Although education
is compulsory for children from the ages of seven to fourteen,
the lack of classroom space and trained teachers makes it difficult
to enforce this law.
Less
than half of 6-year-olds attend primary school, and a child entering
primary school can expect to stay there for 3.9 years. The majority
of students must drop out before completing elementary school,
and many Haitians do not see the value in education. Schools are
clustered in cities, so children living in remote areas do not
receive even a basic education. These factors combined result
in a literacy rate of about 45%. |
| HEALTH
Haiti's health statistics are alarming. Although the country
has the highest birthrate in the Caribbean, its infant mortality
rate is also among the highest in the Americas, 74 deaths
per 1000 live births. One in sixteen women faces a lifetime
chance of dying during childbirth, as compared to one in
10,000 in the U.S.
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About
130 of every 1000 children die before reaching their fifth
birthday. Average life expectance at birth is only fifty
years.
More
than half the population, including two-thirds of the children,
suffers from malnutrition. Nearly a quarter of the country's
rural families have no land at all. Tens of thousands of
people die each year solely from diseases related to a lack
of clean water. |
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Haiti has been particularly vulnerable to the AIDS epidemic,
with HIV rates approaching ten percent of the total population,
the highest rate in the Western Hemisphere. Women account
for fifty percent of the AIDS cases in Haiti. The number
of children orphaned by AIDS since the beginning of the
epidemic is 200,000. |
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CENTER
OF HOPE HAITI
COHH emerges from these adverse conditions as a beacon of
encouragement and hope. The basic needs for shelter, education,
nutrition, emotional security, and medical care will be
met. A bridge to the future will be built, as opportunities
for developing life skills through education will be offered.
COHH fosters self-sufficiency and empowers the current generation
to improve life for the next generation. To see hope in
a child's eyes is COHH's greatest reward. |
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Center
of Hope (Haiti), Inc. | P.O. Box 150 | Stamford, CT | info@centerofhope-haiti.org
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