People living in rural Haiti lack access to basic health care services due to poverty. Rural poverty in Haiti particularly affects women’s health because Haiti has had the highest maternal mortality and infant mortality rates in the Americas, in addition to some of the worst health statistics in the Western Hemisphere. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to cultivate a greater understanding of the poverty factors that affect access to health care services specifically among poor women living in rural Haiti.

This descriptive exploratory study uses a cultural-ecological framework to examine mothering and the role of family support within the lakou (group living) system in the rural province of Leogane, Haiti. Historically, the lakou refers to clusters of homes in which Haitian families reside, as well as to the extended and multiple-generation family form that is prominent in Haitian culture. Initially, the members of a lakou worked cooperatively and provided for each other with financial and other forms of support.

At the end of a long, sweltering day, on January 12, 2010, as markets and businesses attempt to close for the day, an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude, shook the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, leaving over 250,000 dead, over 1.3 million injured and another 1.5 million homeless. The earthquake itself lasted for only 45 seconds, but nothing would be the same again for anyone on the ground, for any Haitian watching monuments fall to the ground from afar, on television screens, for anyone with a personal tie to its land.

This thesis examines the subject of gender based violence (GBV) in Haiti and how local and international organizations are adressing the issus on multiple levels. Due to historical political and economic factors, the earthquake that struck the country on January 12th 2010 had devastating impacts. The earthquake worked as a catalyst that revealted deep underlying gender fault lines that had developed over long periods of time.

This study explores relationship dynamics between men and women in low-income districts of Port-au-Prince. It describes how the vast majority of residents of Port-au-Prince’s low-income districts are migrants or children of migrants from the country’s interior. Men and women maintain ties with their families’ place of origin, coming and going regularly as part of trade circuits or simply visiting, sharing important moments of family life.

Faced with the lack of formal employment, microentrepreneurship is a common activity among women in developing countries. While microentrepreneurship is often seen as a vehicle for these women to “succeed,” the asset structure conditions the degree of “success.” Even when human capital is abundant in many developing countries, other assets need to concur to make microenterprises viable. This is the case of Haiti, a country where women represent 70 percent of the informal market.

Haiti, a country located in the Caribbean, is considered to be the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. With a population of more than eight million, Haiti is amongst the poorest of the poor with majority of the population living in abject poverty. In Haiti, a large majority of women have unmet needs for family planning or child-spacing which inevitably leads to high maternal mortality. In Haiti, most births occur at home without trained health care personnel, and the country has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDs in the region.

Ce mémoire a étudié les perceptions de femmes haïtiennes vivant au Québec depuis moins de cinq ans de leurs relations sexuelles avec les hommes et de leurs rapports de couple. Après avoir opté pour une méthodologie de recherche qualitative, la théorie féministe intersectionnelle a été retenue comme cadre d’analyse. Des entretiens individuels semi-dirigés ont été menés auprès de 9 femmes haïtiennes, âgées de 18 à 60 ans et ayant immigré au Québec depuis moins de cinq ans.

Most countries in the Western Hemisphere have reduced their incidence rates of HIV/ AIDS, but Haiti continues to experience alarming increases in diagnosed cases. This paper examines how political turmoil, poverty, violence and gender inequality contribute to the threat of HIV/AIDS throughout this region, and in particular, how gendered societal constraints make women especially vulnerable by compelling them to prioritize economically- beneficial sexual unions over personal health.

Aux premières rafales, les femmes du bidonville de La Saline ont fui, enfants dans leurs bras, comme toujours. Mais en novembre, au cœur de la capitale haïtienne, les affrontements entre gangs ont viré au massacre, plongeant les survivantes davantage dans la misère.

De sa maison précaire, il ne reste plus que la dalle de béton. Devant les deux tôles rouillées qui lui servent aujourd'hui d'abri, Lovely Saint-Pierre raconte son cauchemar qui a débuté il y a huit mois.