In Haiti, hungry lives & early deaths: governments rise and fall, but do little to help the nation's impoverished people and devastated economy.

Diplomats call Haiti a "failed state," a nation done in by dictators and disasters. What that means is a hungry life and an early death for many of the 5 million people in Haiti's little villages, places like Plaine Danger, about 500 miles from Florida and light-years from Port-au-Prince, the capital, where President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fell from power on Feb. 29.

Aristide promised to make life better in Haiti, where public health, education, and the economy have been collapsing for decades. But he never did; no Haitian leader ever has, and many made life worse. Governments rise and fall, doing nothing to stop Haiti from sliding into the sea.

Haiti is, in fact, slowly disappearing. The soil slides off the steep hills, where trees are burned to make charcoal, the only thing people can sell for a profit. "There are no trees to hold the land and when it rains, the earth washes away," says Didier Dipera, a farmer in Plaine Danger.

Jeanne Bazard, who is pregnant with her sixth child, is one of many Haitians who sell charcoal to get by. "When I put a dollar together I walk up the hill and buy a bag of charcoal and then walk into town to sell it," she says. "If I leave at dawn I arrive at 9. It might sell for twice as much there."

Cutting down the trees began in the 18th century with the French slave masters who ran Haiti. Even after Haitian independence in 1804, the French bought and cut millions of mahogany trees; by World War I, they were almost gone. Now, close to 90 percent of the nation is denuded.

Today, the economy is based on burning. "People have no choice but to make charcoal," says Alexis Charlemagne, 40, a nurse in the port of Jeremie. "There are no jobs, no factory here, and charcoal is a quick buck."

There once was a fishing fleet in Jeremie, but the boats left with the boat people, the thousands of Haitians who have sought refuge in the U.S. from hunger and oppression, and never returned. (There are more than 400,000 Haitians in the U.S., mostly in New York and Miami.)

'IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO'S IN POWER'

With her charcoal money, Bazard buys roots, rice, and beans--one simple meal a day for herself and her children.

"I only care about whether we can eat," she says. "It doesn't matter who's in power. We've never gotten anything from anyone in power. The least any leader could do would be to make jobs so we could buy an animal or two and find a way for my kids to go to school. It's not possible For my kids to have a better life than mine because they can't go to school."

Free basic education for children is demanded by Haiti's constitution, but no government has ever provided it. School fees are the equivalent of two months' income for the rural poor, and illiteracy runs to 80 percent in the countryside, where two thirds of Haiti's 8 million people live.

The world's first black-led republic, Haiti gained independence from France in 1804. Prior to independence, Haiti was largely populated by black slaves who had been imported to work on plantations. In 1791, former slave Toussaint Louverture led an uprising that succeeded in ousting the French 13 years later.

TWO CENTURIES OF BAD GOVERNMENT

But independence and the abolition of slavery did not bring stability or prosperity. Almost two centuries later, in 1990, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a former priest, won the presidency in the country's first democratic election, but was overthrown in a military coup the following year. In 1994, the U.S. intervened militarily and restored Aristide to power. Still, Haiti remained in chaos, both politically and economically. In February, an uprising against Aristide began to intensify, and a month later, he went into exile.

Haiti is one of the world's poorest and most environmentally damaged nations. It ranks 150th out of 173 countries on the UN's human-development list. One Haitian child in three under age 5 is malnourished. Malaria, dengue fever, typhoid, and tuberculosis are endemic. AIDS is rampant and polio has returned.

The fundamental barrier to development, says the World Bank, has been two centuries of terrible government. "A lot may have changed in Port-au-Prince," says Sister Maryann, a Franciscan nun who runs a charitable foundation in Haiti, "but very little has changed in the villages."

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

* How would you describe daily life for the majority of Haitians?

* What do you think Haiti is most in need of at the moment?

* Should the U.S. keep troops in Haiti until the country achieves an economically stable and peaceful society?

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students understand daily life in Haiti, long the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and why U.S. troops are stationed there to help keep the peace.

CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

BACKGROUND: Haiti's revolution against France evolved into civil war, embittering people on both sides. Further, Toussaint Louverture's failure to break up the French plantation system allowed the continuation of a ruling class and great economic disparity between a tiny elite and the rest of the population.

CRITICAL THINKING: Note that the United States sent troops to Haiti in 1994 to restore Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. Tell students that U.S. troops are again stationed in Haiti in the wake of the second toppling of Aristide. Both these missions raise important questions about U.S. policy in the region.

Ask students why they think the U.S. is so concerned about events in a small, poor Caribbean country. Do Americans have an obligation to be peacekeepers in such countries? You might note that a major American concern is that violence in Haiti will send boatloads of refugees fleeing to Florida, as they have in the past. Should the U.S. welcome such refugees or try to keep them in Haiti? However students answer, tell them that France, Canada, and Chile have also sent peacekeeping troops.

"SECURE TOMORROW": What does the fact that four countries have troops in Haiti suggest about the need to maintain stability in the region? Tell students that the international mission is called "Operation Secure Tomorrow."

FAST FACT: In 1803, Napoleon I, sensing that France was overextended, in part by the rebellion in Haiti, decided to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million. The purchase doubled the size of the young country.

WEB WATCH: www.cia.gov/cia/ publications/factbook/geos/ha.html, a CIA Web site, provides a wealth of economic, political, and social data on Haiti.www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/ database/article_display.cfm?HHID =193 provides background on the U.S. occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934.

Upfront QUIZ 3

HAITI: A 'FAILED STATE' > MULTIPLE CHOICE > PAGES 14-15 DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter next to the best answer.

1. The main reason why Haiti is literally slipping into the sea is

a poor farming practices.

b Caribbean storms.

c a lack of good roads.

d deforestation.

2. The great majority of Haitians live in

a the capital, Port-au-Prince.

b other cities.

c the countryside.

d along the coasts.

3. Haiti became an independent country in 1804.

a with the help of American troops.

b after leaving the neighboring Dominican Republic.

c following a revolution against France.

d with the help of Cuban mercenaries.

4. In 1804, Haiti became the world's first

a plantation economy.

b black-led republic.

c country with a state religion.

d fully independent country.

5. Commercial fishing in Jeremie is a thing of the past because the

a sea around the country has been largely fished out.

b fishing boats have been seized by the military.

c fishing boats were taken by fleeing refugees.

d fishing boats are too dilapidated to operate safely.

6. The fundamental barrier to Haiti's development has been

a two centuries of terrible government.

b constant invasions from other countries.

c a severe lack of valuable natural resources.

d its location in the middle of a hurricane belt.

Upfront Quiz 3, page TE6

1. (d) deforestation.

2. (e) the countryside.

3. (c) following a revolution against France.

4. (b) black-led republic.

5. (e) fishing boats have been taken by fleeing refugees.

6. (a) two centuries of terrible government.

Tim Weiner is a New York Timer correspondent based in Mexico City