Home Sweet Home in Haiti

This is a typical Haitian home in the rural northern region of Gros Morne. It's common for 5 or 6 persons to share a one room dwelling. Some families own the land and cultivate corn, bananas, watermelon, peppers, squash and mangoes. Others work on larger farms. There is usually sufficient rain, but water conservation is minimal and erosion is a huge problem, made worse by the deforestation during the Duvaliers' dictatorship era. In these mountains, elementary schools often have only a half dozen students per grade level and the teachers are not well-qualified. The students, however, seem eager to learn--and the 6th grade girls each year are now eagerly vying for MBB scholarships.