CRS History in Haiti

Due to years of political and social instability, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Decades of poor governance, corruption and exploitation have left the country destitute of social, environmental and financial resources. Meanwhile, instability and the threat of kidnapping and other crimes have hampered the provision of basic services and the distribution of humanitarian services. The enormous gap in income distribution between the rich and poor, which ranks second in the world, makes reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth even more of a challenge. Haiti's other significant challenges include limited access to food, high malnutrition rates, and poor health and education services.

Catholic Relief Services began working in Haiti in 1954 after Hurricane Hazel devastated the country and killed upward of 1,000 people. High population density, severe deforestation and decaying infrastructure make Haiti particularly vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods.

In the beginning, CRS' work centered on responding to the massive loss of lives and physical destruction caused by the hurricane. However, since 1954 CRS Haiti has grown to include both emergency relief activities and long-term development work. CRS Haiti now focuses not only on emergency response, but on spurring economic growth for Haiti's poorest citizens through agriculture, natural resource management, and microfinance/small-business development. We also help Haitians by providing much-needed programs in education and health. CRS Haiti continues to support "safety net," or social welfare, centers such as children's homes and centers for the aged and dying.

Today, CRS Haiti has two offices, one in the capital of Port-au-Prince and a regional office in Les Cayes. There are approximately 240 CRS Haiti employees.