A Haitian boy walks in front of a shack in the slum of Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 11 July 2008. Cité Soleil is considered one of the worst slums in the Americas, most of its 300.000 residents live in extreme poverty. Children and single mothers predominate in the population. Social and living conditions in the slum are a human tragedy. There is no running water, no sewers and no electricity. Public services virtually do not exist - there are no stores, no hospitals or schools, no urban infrastructure. In spite of this fact, a rent must be payed even in all shacks made from rusty metal sheets. Infectious diseases are widely spread as garbage disposal does not exist in Cité Soleil. Violence is common, armed gangs operate throughout the slum.
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