Educating and Empowering Haitian Women and Girls GLENDALE, New York — Haiti, a small country located in North America on the island of Hispaniola, has a female population of about 5.6 million out of a total population of around 11.1 million. Yet, women continue to suffer the detrimental effects of gender biases and social norms as they do not reach the same educational and professional success that men do. WomenOne and other organizations are promoting the education and empowerment of Haitian women and girls. Women’s Literacy in Haiti While the average literacy rate is 92% for developing countries in Latin America, Haitian women have a literacy rate of 57%. In comparison, Haitian men have a literacy rate of between 61-64%. Haiti’s Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.510 in 2019 put the country in the low human development category. Considering this fact, it has been difficult for women to surpass the limitations of inadequate education systems. This is especially true for the 24.7% of the population that live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1.25 a day.