On January 12, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince. While the buildings were destroyed, the people were not. Here, a look at how the displaced poor are rebuilding in the wake of catastrophe.
Haitians living in the Dominican Republic have long encountered racial discrimination, exploitation, poverty and the worst HIV infection rates in the hemisphere. Many are essentially stateless - a situation worsened by the country's new constitution. Now, with a devastating earthquake, the plight of this long marginalized community has become even more pressing.
The worst earthquake to strike Haiti in 200 years rattled the country on January 12, 2010, leaving the infrastructure in shambles and thousands dead. The quake hit just as many believed Haiti was achieving some semblance of stability.
Pulitzer Center grantees Jason Maloney and Kira Kay recently reported on these hopeful developments.
In Jamaica strict anti-sodomy laws and often violently homophobic
social currents have resulted in a curious skewing of the national HIV
infection rates. While the general population’s infection rate is
currently about 1.4%, the infection rate in the gay community is almost 32%.
Depression caused by Cuban politics and the faltering economy is a taboo subject on the island, but plenty of Cubans self-medicate their frustrations. Reporter Lygia Navarro travels to Havana to investigate the popular black market in sedatives.
Poet Kwame Dawes travels to Jamaica to report on how HIV/AIDS has affected lives. The result is a collection of stories told through essays, poems, video, music and photographs that capture the emotions experienced by those living with the disease and caring for the affected.
Twenty-five years after the AIDS epidemic was given a name, it is a plague with tangled ties between the wealthiest and the poorest countries in the hemisphere. Those ties are especially strong in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Palm Beach County.
Child slaves make up about 10 percent of the youth population in Haiti. Driven out of economic depravity, many parents are sending their children to live with others and serve as indentured servants in order to secure their survival.
