Grenada
Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada in September of 2004 causing severe damage. Recovering from Ivan, and the enormous debt from rebuilding, are not the only issues Grenada is facing. According to the World Bank, 32 percent of Grenadians live in conditions of poverty. Recent government research suggests that most of these households are in rural areas, often in the most inaccessible and sometimes drought-ridden parts of the island.
Unemployment, or underemployment, is the main problem in rural areas. Some of the worst poverty is to be found on former estates, where barracks-like accommodations are still used by rural laborers. In such communities, housing conditions can be extremely rudimentary, with no sewerage and little access to other services.
Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005) severely damaged the agricultural sector - particularly nutmeg and cocoa cultivation - which had been a key driver of economic growth. Also, economic growth slowed down even more in 2009 because of the global economic slowdown's affect on tourism and remittances.
Food For The Poor in Grenada
Food For The Poor serves Grenada primarily through donations of goods. Shipments to Grenada include:
- Food
- Medicine
- General health care items
- Educational supplies
- Agricultural supplies
General Information - Grenada
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Grenada Demographics |
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| By Age: (2009 est.) |
Infant Mortality: (2009 est.) |
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Median Age: (2009 est.) |
Life Expectancy: (2009 est.) |
Grenada History
Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when Colombus discovered the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. Independence was attained in 1974 making Grenada one of the smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere. A Marxist military council seized Grenada on October 19, 1983. Six days later the island was invaded by U.S. forces and those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted the following year and have continued since that time.
