A report issued by the World Bank concluded that despite moving from recovery from the devastating 7.0 earthquake to development, Haiti remains the poorest country in the Americas and one of the poorest in the world with significant needs in basic services.
More than 6 million out of 10.4 million (59%) Haitians live under the national poverty line of $2.44 per day and over 2.5 million (24%) live under the national extreme poverty line of $1.24 per day.
Yet, progress has been made:
–Of the 1.5 million people displaced by the earthquake, more than 1.4 million have left the camps and relocated. Reconstruction programs are repairing and building safer housing and upgrading neighborhood infrastructure.
–Haitian children have benefited from better access to primary education, where participation rates of school-age children rose from 78 to 90 percent.
–Haiti has made progress in controlling the cholera epidemic since the 2010 outbreak with reported case numbers decreasing from a monthly average of more than 35,000 in  2011, to about 2,200 cases per month in 2014.

Nevertheless, much remains to be done to reduce poverty and improve the well-being of Haitians.
–The quality of education and learning remains a challenge. Only one third of all children aged 14 are in the appropriate grade for their age.
–Cholera continues to be a threat and water borne diseases are among the leading causes of infant mortality in the country.
–Recovery of the economy has been slowed by an unfavorable international economic environment, droughts and pests drastically reduce agricultural production, and repeated hurricanes and tropical storms, including hurricanes Isaac and Sandy, cause new destruction.
–A major challenge for Haiti is managing the substantial decrease in donor financing. Having declined for the last three years, the trend is expected to continue in the future.
It is abundantly clear that we have much work left to do in Haiti and that with your help we can make a difference. Already the solar water wells we constructed, the nurses we support on medical missions, and the clothes and food we provide, are improving, if not saving, thousands of lives each year.
Please consider donating to help us further our work in Haiti. With your help, anything is possible.
Thank you,
Michael and Frida Donner