"If we all tried to make other people's paths easy, our own feet would have a smooth even place to walk on."
Si nou tout te eseye fè chemen lòt moun fasil, pye pwòp nou yo ta gen yon lis menm kote yo mache sou.
-Myrtle Reed
Maniche (Kreyol: Manich) is a commune in the Les Cayes Arrondissement, in the Southern Departent of Haiti.
The villages of Maniche and Madame Jean Pierre are located in the commune.
Location in Haiti
About[]
The town of Maniche was raised to the rank of commune in 1979.
Locale
Maniche is located near the end of a winding road which branches off Route Nationale 7 near Antoine-Simon Les Cayes Airport. The road is marked Route 700-A and continues west into the commune of Camp-Perrin, where it ends at the village of Dominique. The road itself continues unmarked through the countryside of Camp-Perrin and rejoins Route Nationale #7 at Marceline, just west of Saut-Mathurine, Haiti's largest waterfall. Visitors can swim at the base of this picturesque cascade of water, significant for its size.
Child in Maniche, Haiti
Geography[]
Maniche is located at 18° 21' 0" North, 73° 46' 0". According to the IHSI, this commune has a total land area of 124.81 square kilometers (48.19 square miles), of which 96.99 km² (77%) is rural, 27.45 km² (22%) is suburban, and 0.37 km² (>1%) is urban. It is bordered by the Nippes Department city of Baradères on the northeast, the town of Cavaillon on the east, the city of Les Cayes on the south, the town of Camp-Perrin on the west, and the Grand-Anse town of Pestel on the northwest. Maniche has three communal sections. It is a landlocked town, most of which is a valley, and its climate is normal. Its inhabitants bear the name of Manichoix.
The Town[]
Route 700-A enters the town from the south, it leaves the town through the west by turning left in the town center at a 4-way intersection. The unmarked road that continues north crosses the Riviere de Cavaillon into the village of Melon, another communal section of the town. This river crossing is useless during inclement weather. After passing through the village of Melon, the road continues north through a lush wooded area, running parallel to the Rivière des Baradères. The road then turns into a path, leading through the remote villages of Rambeau, Terre Rouge, and finally Geffrard. Past Geffrard, the path ends, however the river continues until it reaches a split at the foot of the mountains, near Morne Bodique to be precise.
Neighborhoods
| Maniche | 23,934 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ville de Maniche | Urban | 1,087 | |||
| 1ère Section Maniche | Rural section | 7,655 | Cassiline, Jean-Dedes, Lamore, Madame-Jean-Pierre, Madame-Marin, Mathieu, Mazolière, Melissant, Nacou, Nan Coton, Roche, Rousseau, Tricon. | ||
| DRY | 2ème Section Dory | Rural | 6,019 | Balice, Dessources, Dory, Fraise, Grand-Doise, Muller, Ringnin, Roba, Trou-Canari. | |
| MEL | 3ème Section Melon | Rural | 9,173 | Dérodière, Geffard, Hatier, Lestace, Morency, Rambeau, Robert, Terre-Rouge, Ti Claire, Ti Melon. |
Demographics
| Year | Population | +/- |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9,394 | |
| 2005 | 19,542 | +108% |
| 2009 | 21,766 | +11% |
| 2015 | 23,934 | +10% |
Woman in Maniche, Haiti
Economy[]
In terms of economic and financial infrastructure, only one credit union and one marketing cooperative have been inventoried. In addition, for other economic infrastructures, the town has three borlette banks and two business houses. For commercial establishments, it has twenty food supply centers, four building materials and six coffee depots.
A mini-fair is held in front Maniche's church in December and makes it possible to exhibit and sell the products of the region: corn, guava, pounded rice, oranges, cassava, and pineapple, as well as processed products like corn wine, orange wine, liqueur, guava jelly and jam, cremas, cassava, cassava flour and derived products.
Infrastructure[]
Education
The Ministry of National Education of Youth and Sports does not have representatives in the municipality of Maniche. Two kindergartens, nine primary schools, three secondary schools, a technical and vocational school, and a literacy center were counted in the commune of Maniche.
The Saint-Augustin School educates over 400 students each year in grade levels from preschool through middle school. Without the generosity of donors, few of these students would otherwise have an opportunity to attend school.
Health
The Ministry of Public Health and Population is not represented in the commune. There are two private health centers with three auxiliaries and a laboratory technician.
Utilities
The town of Maniche has three taps and a river from which water is collected and distributed. This water is used for domestic services and for watering the land. The town of Maniche has no electricity.
Pont Dolan; Maniche, Haiti
Culture[]
Religion
A Catholic church, an episcopal church, eight Baptist churches an one Adventist temple, two Pentecostal churches, a Kingdom Hall of the rayaume (Jehovah's Witness) and five other churches were counted in Maniche commune.
Communication
No telephone, no postal service. There is no radio station, television station, newspaper / magazine in the town.
Leisure
As for Leisure, the town has no library, museum nor movie theater. However, there was a theater hall, a football (soccer) field, a night club and two gagueres.
References[]
FR-academic: Maniche [1]
Michael Vedrine