A writer for TheStar.com, the online version of Canada's Toronto Star newspaper, wrote an informative article this week about the Peligre Dam in Haiti. The Peligre is a hydroelectric dam located off the Centre Department on the Artibonite River of Haiti. It is the largest dam on the island of Hispaniola consisting of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. At one time it was envisioned that the Peligre Dam would create electricity for parts of Haiti, including the Central Plateau area.

More than 50 years later, the dam has fallen into disrepair. The 54-megawatt dam, the largest in the country, is currently operating at half capacity, which largely explains how the country’s electricity generation has fallen by more than 30 per cent in the past six years. Haiti's electrical shortages are well-documented and a source of much of the country's proverbial poverty. Green Family Foundation's Kimberly Green produced a documentary in 2006, entitled Once There Was a Country, narrated by former U.S. poet laureate Dr. Maya Angelou. The documentary film examines the causes of Haiti's health care crises and provides examples of how innovative programs can alleviate poverty and disease in the country's most isolated regions. The history of the Peligre Dam is featured in the film. Visit the film's website here.

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