About Haiti

Haiti, population 8 million, is a small country of 27,750 square kilometers located in the West Indies. It is a mountainous and naturally beautiful country that earned its nickname "Pearl of the West Indies." In 1804, Haiti became the first Black republic in the world and the second independent country in America after the United States. However, independence brought neither peace nor prosperity to the country. Since 1986, Haiti has been a democratic country, but it has been wracked by conflicts rooted in 200 years of intense political rivalries.

Once, Haiti was once considered one of the richest colonies in the world. Today it is the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere. Illiteracy is widespread. Children's
malnutrition and disease are persistent. Lack of housing, food, health care and clean water are principal ills.

In the United States, all children are guaranteed a basic education and poor families can still turn to the governmental safety net, however how flawed, for emergency help. In Haiti, the poor are left to care for themselves. Single mothers, widows and orphans join thousands of poor people who walk the streets daily looking for food. Marenn - Parenn was founded to provide a hand to Haiti's poor, one family at a time.