RFF Conducts a Census: Berger

This week, the RFF census staff piled into the back of a white Nissan pickup truck and traveled the rocky route up to Berger, one of the higher-elevation zones of Port Salut.  This is just past Douyon, the birthplace of former Haitian President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Berger is home to many land cultivators, and a high proportion of its residents make a living by harvesting vertiver, a root used in perfumes. Because many of the homes in Berger are remote and tucked away high into the steep folds of the mountains, family members may walk up to 4 hours round-trip to get water at the closest source, according to census interviews. Such time commitments are not unique to Berger, though, as census interviews throughout other zones of Port Salut have revealed that many residents believe their community would benefit from improved access to water. Berger residents have named road construction and electricity as priorities as well. As RFF continues to collect data from the census, the organization is learning more about parents and the difficulties that often lead parents to send their children into restavek. 

Andrea Van Grinsven, 2015 Summer Intern