Ile a Vache is a small island located off the south west coast of Haiti. It is approximately 10 miles long and 5 miles wide.  It is inhabited by approximately 16,000 people and is surrounded by white sandy beaches, coconut trees, mangrove and some of the warmest turquoise sea water in the world.

However it is not all paradise. Typhoid, Malaria and Malnutrition are serious health issues the people continually face.  The inhabitants survive by farming the land and fishing.  Due to unsettled governments, Haiti has experienced great backfalls. The country once known as the “Pearl of the Antillies” has become the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world. The people live in abject poverty and deprivation. 

It is quite disturbing to see the level of poverty and underdevelopment on the island  considering its close proximity to America and other Caribbean islands. The island should be teeming with tourists and have a thriving fishing and agriculture sector.

However, Ile a Vache is not without hope. The people are beautiful, the island is set in the magnificent West Indies and there is little doubt that with the right planning this island could be an ecologically sustainable tourist destination providing employment and well being to all its inhabitants.

Education is quite lacking on the island. Simple things like family planning, healthcare, nutrition and respect for the island go unaddressed.  There is also a great deal of de-forestation which has had terrible effects on the environment.  This is all due to ignorance on the part of the inhabitants.  But with proper education this vicious cycle can be broken.