Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Although it’s located a relatively short distance from the United States, this Caribbean nation has widespread hunger and disease. By one estimate, the majority of the population subsists on $2 a day. Although this figure is disputed, no one will argue that many people in Haiti are suffering.

Hunger is a fact of life. Once I heard a missionary priests who’ve worked in Haiti talk about conditions there. He told the story of a young boy who was offered a meal. The boy refused to eat. Instead, he wanted to take the meal with him, explaining that it was his brother’s turn to eat that day.

For many people, food is so hard to come by that some mothers, to ease the pangs of hunger, will feed their children cookies baked from mud.

Gifts Made in Haiti

An estimated two-thirds of Haitians old enough to work do not have steady jobs. Most of Haiti’s GDP is derived by countrymen who live elsewhere, and send money home to their relatives.

However, Haiti is very rich in artistic talent. There are some great products made from recycled steel drums, which have been fashioned into beautiful home decorations. Here is just a small sample of what’s available.

The 2010 Haitian Earthquake

This long-standing poverty, of course, was made all the worse in 2010, when a devastating 7.0 earthquake struck just west of Port-au-Prince, Haitian’s capital city. It’s believed that between 100,000 to 160,000 people died in this quake, which severely damaged about 250,000 homes and 30,000 other structures.