The Rough Road to Services and Livelihood Opportunities in Rural Haiti and the Added Impact of Natural Disasters

Mobility of goods and people in rural Haiti is constrained by the sparce road network and low maintenance of existing infrastructure. These challenges are further exacerbated by frequent natural disasters, including seasonal floods and earthquakes of significant magnitudes. This study conducted household surveys, qualitative interviews with humanitarian and development organizations on the ground, and spatial and statistical analysis to understand the impact of the relative importance of various constraints to accessing schooling, health care, and livelihood opportunities in rural Haiti, especially focusing on the most marginalized population groups. The various data collected corroborate the conclusion that transport issues—travel time, flooded roads, and lack of continuously functioning public transport services, among others—are central in the local residents’ ability to access services and livelihood opportunities. At the same time, for many marginalized people, such as women and people living with a disability, other significant barriers are present, in terms of lack of affordability, inappropriate design of school and health care facilities, risk of assault, discrimination, and cultural norms. Living in a community where roads where damaged by the August 2021 earthquake is associated with reduced odds of having accessed needed health care or sold any of the produced agricultural harvest in the following months and with higher odds of children having missed school. Overall, the findings point to the need for a broad set of interventions—combining infrastructure and complementary policies—to allow everyone, including the most marginalized groups, to gain full access to health, education, and livelihood opportunities.