A portrait of Haitians trying to survive without a government

Haiti is on the verge of collapse, with little to no government. But many Haitians have already learned to live without the support of the state, as NPR discovered traveling to Cap-Haïtien.CAP-HAÏTIEN, Haiti — Most of northern Haiti has escaped the violence and anarchy that has engulfed much of the country's capital, Port-au-Prince.in 2021, this region has felt the slow crumbling of the Haitian state.

She points to the dirt roads, full of potholes, some parts of them washed out by water long ago."The government did nothing," she says."They do nothing for us." "When people work here, they realize it's worthless," he says."And facing that discouragement, young people just up and leave. They go to the Dominican Republic to get humiliated."

The 41-year-old is actually an electrician. But here in Cap-Haïtien, electricians have become lifesavers. Cap-Haïtien is Haiti's second-largest city, but for more than two years now, it has been living off the grid. Electricity was always patchy, but following the 2021 assassination of President Moïse the state electricity company collapsed and stopped providing power.

"Everyone always says, electricity is the base of development; it's the first stage of development," he says. Minis Derius, a member of the Brigade for the Security of Protected Areas, or B-SAP, carries an assault rifle as he walks along the canal's concrete retention walls.

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