A beautiful land marred by poverty, political corruption, and natural disasters.
Haiti was originally discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 when he landed in Mole St. Nicolas. Haiti is slightly smaller than the state of Maryland and occupies the western half of the island of Hispaniola, with the Dominican Republic bordering to the east.
Over 10 million people live in Haiti, which is considered the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
The country has long been plagued by high rates of poverty - 80% live below the poverty line, and unemployment - 40% of the people are unemployed. Combine that with political corruption, natural disasters and broken infrastructure, and you have Haiti as it is today.
We currently have two partners located in Northwest Haiti, which is the poorest part of Haiti.
Port-de-Paix is a large city located in Northwest Haiti (Nord-Quest – the dark yellow section on this map). The population is approximately 250,000. It’s about 7 hours from Port-au-Prince by bus or 45 minutes by airplane.
Mole St. Nicolas is a coastal village in Northwest Haiti about 3 hours west of Port-de-Paix and 10 hours from Port-au-Prince. It has a population of approximately 4,000 with another 20,000 spread in the rural areas nearby.
Notable Recent Events
August 14, 2021 - a major 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Southwest Haiti leaving over 2,000 dead and over 12,000 wounded.
July 7, 2021 - President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his personal residence. The first lady, Martine Moise, was also severely injured in the attack. The future of Haiti is unknown at this point, but we trust in the Lord who knows all things.
October 4, 2016 - Haiti was hit by Hurricane Matthew, a category 5 storm that devastated the southern part of Haiti, and left widespread damage and flooding across the country. The storm left over 900 people dead.
January 12, 2010 - Haiti was struck by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake. This was the country’s most severe earthquake in over 200 years. The 2010 Haiti earthquake was reported to have left up to 316,000 people dead and 1.6 million homeless.
“Haiti 323 Project is amazing ministry that is giving people life skills to survive in a truly harsh economy. With the skills of sewing, people can fight poverty and provide for their families. The ability to learn a trade is enough to encourage the Haitians; coupled with providing for their families and you suddenly see them empowered and hopeful. It’s a ministry God is using to give hope to the hopeless. I am proud to have been able to see their impact first hand the last time I traveled to Haiti. The students are joyful and proud! The Haiti 323 Project is helping the people support themselves and their country.”