Chapter 16: The Intersection of Poverty and Education in Haiti: A Case Analysis

Although considered the poorest country in the western hemisphere for decades, worldwide attention was brought to Haiti following the devastating January 2010 earthquake. The calamitous disaster, with more than 200,000 killed and 1,500,000 displaced, highlighted underlying social, economic, and educational problems in the country. The outpouring of economic support for Haiti since the earthquake depicts the close connection between poverty and education. A statistical overview of Haiti provides some key indicators of this poverty-education connection: Less than 50% of the adult population is functionally literate, 80% of the population did not attend secondary school, and 78% live on $2 a day or less (World Bank, 2011). Yet in the midst of these challenges, innovative educational practices are presenting opportunities for Haiti to emerge from its impoverished state. Focusing on the intersection of poverty and education, the authors examined a number of innovative initiatives that used social capital as a tool for education reform–one involving a school near the capital of Port au Prince, another in the north region, and two projects focused on teacher and administrator training taking place across the country. The chapter concludes with an examination of common themes derived from the cases and considers how the social capital being developed through school reform initiatives can lead to a sustainable future for Haiti.