Haiti Facts

Bonjour! That’s “hello” in French, one of the official languages of Haiti. This Caribbean country is known for its rugged terrain as well as its warm, tropical climate. Learn more facts about Haiti right here.

five Facts About Haiti

Here are five fun facts about Haiti:

  1. The name “Haiti” comes from the Taino word ayiti, which means “land of the mountains.”
  2. Haiti is the most mountainous country in the Caribbean, with peaks that reach over 8,000 feet above sea level.
  3. The country is home to the Citadelle Laferrière, a massive fortress built on top of a mountain. It was commissioned by King Henri Christophe during the 19th century.
  4. Haiti also features the Sans-Souci Palace, an impressive historical site that served as the royal residence of King Henri Christophe.
  5. In Haiti, it’s summer year-round. Temperatures range from 70 degrees in the winter to the mid-80s or higher during the summer.

Where is Haiti?

Haiti is a country in the Caribbean Sea. It’s located on the western third of the island of Hispaniola and neighbors Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Key Challenges in Haiti & Our Response

While Haiti features a lovely warm climate and breathtaking mountain ranges, it’s also home to children living in poverty. Those living in impoverished communities face devastating challenges that Compassion is fighting to overcome.

Educational Barriers Keep Kids From Reaching Their Full Potential

In Haiti, only around 10% of schools are public. The remaining 90% are private, and many families can’t afford to pay the required fees. Many children drop out of school because they can’t pay tuition and because they feel pressure to start earning incomes to help care for their families.

Children who can’t go to school struggle to obtain the skills necessary to provide well for themselves later in life, keeping them trapped in poverty.

Our Response: Providing Educational & Vocational Opportunities

Compassion partners with churches in impoverished communities to provide children with access to education. We help parents cover their children’s tuition to ensure they go to school. We also help children access vocational opportunities so they can explore sustainable careers.

With educations, children are empowered to dream of brighter futures beyond poverty, helping them reach their full, God-given potential.

Violence & Unrest Put Children at Risk

Gang violence, political unrest and abuse are challenges that threaten many in Haiti. Violence of any kind places those who are already vulnerable, especially children living in poverty, in serious danger.

Our Response: Prioritizing Child Protection

At Compassion, we take child protection seriously. With the local church, we provide age-appropriate training to all children we serve, teaching them about their rights. We also train our staff and volunteers, ensuring they know how to intervene when they see signs of violence or abuse.

Through the local church, we provide children with activities that keep them away from gangs. Plus, we respond with immediate relief when families are affected by violence in their communities.

A teenage girl reads the Bible to younger girls

A teenage girl reads the Bible to younger girls.

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A group of children in a rural community smile and hold up glasses of clean water

A group of children in a rural community smile and hold up glasses of clean water.

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Two girls lean against a wall and smile

Two girls lean against a wall and smile.

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A group of children engage in the classroom activity at their child development center

A group of children engage in the classroom activity at their child development center.

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A young girl holds her hands together to pray

A young girl holds her hands together to pray.

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A teenage girl sits happily in her classroom

A teenage girl sits happily in her classroom.

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Three teenage boys read together

Three teenage boys read together.

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A group of young women learn vocational skills at their child development center

A group of young women learn vocational skills at their child development center.

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A young girl swings on the playground at her child development center

A young girl swings on the playground at her child development center.

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Our Impact in Haiti

Compassion has proudly served children and families in Haiti for over five decades. During this time, we’ve helped release thousands of children from poverty in Jesus’ name through child sponsorship.

135,259

children served (and counting)

385

churches serving

55

years of serving

Sponsors Bring Life-Changing Hope During Crises

When countries like Haiti face life-threatening crises, child sponsors are on the front lines, bringing hope to children in desperate need. Here’s how.

A Sponsor’s Care Means the World to Children in Haiti & Beyond

As a sponsor, your support and encouragement mean more than you could ever know. See what children from countries like Haiti have to say about their sponsors.

How You Can Help Vulnerable Children in Haiti

You can join Compassion’s fight against child poverty in Haiti in three key ways:

  • Pray: Jeremiah 33:3 tells us that if we call on God, he will answer us. When we lift children living in poverty up in prayer, God hears us, and we can trust he's working on their behalf. Join us in praying daily for children living in poverty by becoming a prayer partner.
  • Donate: Children living in poverty face many challenges, from a lack of medical care to dangerous living conditions. You can provide immediate support by donating to fulfill a right-now need.
  • Sponsor a Child: By sponsoring a child, you empower a local church to meet the critical needs of a child's body, mind and spirit as they journey out of poverty. Through sponsorship, you'll help deliver medical care, hygiene training, education, malnutrition monitoring and so much more to a child in need. But most importantly, you'll help introduce them to the hope of the gospel, which changes everything.