Pray for Haiti

Haiti is an island nation in the Caribbean
It occupies the western third portion of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares
with the Dominican Republic.

The capital is Port-au-Prince.
The population is over 9 million.

FACTS
Haiti was once part of the Spanish and later the French West Indies.

Haitian Creole and French are the official languages.

DEMOGRAPHICS
95% African
5%  Mulatto or white

80-85% Catholic
20%    Protestant
50%    Spiritualist(Voodoo)

HISTORY
The island of Hispaniola, was originally inhabited by Arawakan speaking Taíno.

Christopher Columbus landed on Hispaniola in 1492, and claimed it for Spain.

The Spanish exploited the island for its gold.
Slavery, ill treatment and infectious diseases wiped out most the Taino.
In the 16th century the Spanish began importing enslaved Africans for slave labor.

Hispaniola became a haven for pirates.
The western part of the island was settled by French buccaneers.

After a series of conflicts, Spain and France divided Hispanolia between them in 1697.
France took the western half of the island and named it Saint Domingue.

Saint-Domingue was one of the most brutal slave colonies in the Caribbean.
One-third of newly imported Africans would usually die within a few years.

After a successful slave revolt, which lasted from 1791-1804, Saint Dominigue
became independent and was renamed Haiti.

Haiti became the first independent nation in the Caribbean and the first black republic in the world.

Since independence Haiti has gone through many dictatorships and political unrest.

In February 2004, an armed rebellion forced the resignation and exile of the previous president.

In 2004 a hurricane killed 3000 people.

In 2010 Haiti suffered a 7.0 magnitude earthquake.
230,000 people were killed
300,000 people were injured
Over a million people were left homeless.
Thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed, including major government buildings.

In October 2010 Haiti suffered from a cholera epidemic that killed 900.

CONDITIONS
Haiti is an agricultural economy.
Over half of the world's vetiver oil comes from Haiti.
Bananas, cocoa, and mangoes are important export crops.

Haiti has moved to expand to higher-end manufacturing

Despite this Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the western world
and the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.

Most of the population are poverty stricken
Many live in filthy slums without running water.

Over half the population faces unemployment.

Rapid urbanization from poorer rural areas has weakened the country's already
bad infrastructure.

Poverty and political turmoil have led many to emigrate illegally.

Education levels in Haiti are very low.
The country faces shortages in both educational supplies and qualified teachers
Half of the population is illiterate

Sex and labor trafficking are rampant.
Children in situations of domestic labor often experience physical and sexual abuse.
Runaways end up on the street as prostitutes, beggars, or criminals.

Efforts to eliminate trafficking have been in progress since 2014.

The country has been devastated by the recent disasters and recovery will take years.
The massive loss of life and the long-term injuries has left major
scars on the population.
After the disasters aid arrived from around the world, but assistance
will still be needed for a long time.

SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS
Voodoo and spiritualism has been prevalent for centuries.

85% of the population profess Christianity, but many mix it with
spiritualistic practices.

Evangelical Christians have steadily grown in number but are among the poorest
people in Haiti.
Many church leaders can barely read.
Discipleship, teaching and training Church leaders is a huge challenge.

The 5% Mulatto population tend to be wealthy, but have no contact with evangelical churches.

PRAYER NEEDS
Pray that the country will be able to recover from its recent trauma.
Pray for honest and godly leaders who can address the county's desperate situation.
Pray that the people will heal physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Pray that the country be protected from natural disasters.

Pray that the economy improve.
Pray that there will be better long-term development for the nation
Pray that the country will gain stability and safety

Pray for those suffering from poverty.
Pray that their situation improve.

Pray for educational needs to be met.

Pray that sex trafficking will stop.
Pray for those living on the streets

Pray for discipleship and training of Church leaders

Pray that Haitians who call themselves Christian experience a personal
relationship with Christ.

Pray that the demonic spirits underlying voodooism be bound.

Pray that the Gospel be preached as never before.

Pray that the Mulatto elite also come to hear the Gospel.

That the country will experience healing, revival and blessing.