POVERTY IN HAITI (UNICEF)

According to Unicef ,(United Nations International Childrens Emergency

Fund), 61.7 of Haiti s populationis below international poverty line of
US$1.25 per day 2007-2011*.
Who are the deprived children in your country context?
The level of poverty was already high in Haiti before the 2010 earthquake, with 54% of the
population
living on less than US$ 1 per day and 76% on less than US$ 2 per day. Not only do more than
40% of
children in Haiti live in absolute poverty, but 70% of children experience at least one form of
deprivation.
Actual declines in several of the underlying indicators of child well-being have been
observed. For example,
access to sanitation decreased from 26% in 1990 to 17% in 2009. This reflects both the low
priority placed,
and investment made, for children. There is also a high level of inequality, with a Gini coefficient of 0.64
(the highest in the Latin America and Caribbean region) and high levels of urban-rural
disparities. Against
this backdrop, the most deprived children and groups in Haiti have been identified as
follows:
- Those affected by the 2010 earthquake who have become vulnerable due to loss of family
support, livelihoods and homes, disability, particularly the remaining 520,000 living in camps
including
those who are being evicted or in risk of eviction.
- Those living in hard to reach areas, notably rural areas with little or no basic social
infrastructures.
- Children with lack of family support, including orphans, children in residential care,
separated children,
street children, children in domesticity.
- Those who are vulnerable to external shocks such as natural disasters, food price hikes and
financial crisis.