Living with two small kids in Haïti

It really depends on how you live and what you're doing, if you're working with an organization and what they provide etc. The safe compound areas (anywhere from one house to a group, gated and with security) are mostly in Petion-Ville, which is where most expats live. You won't tend to find playgrounds unless they're specifically for your org or the kids' school.

On the other hand I know a woman from Canada who runs an orphanage in the Artibonite and raises her children there, living as one with the locals. That can work if you're the kind of family that wants and works with that. In that case the kids there play a LOT of soccer, some basketball too. They also find/make their own toys, like kites from sticks and plastic bags for example. We've brought soccer balls and frisbees to the kids and they had a blast with them. They will disappear or get broken if you're not careful though.

Either way I would never leave the kids anywhere alone except for something like a good school with security.

Malaria medicine is toxic and can only be taken for short periods of time. For this reason no one (not kids or adults) staying somewhere longer term take the medicine at all. I only took it on my first visit. Instead good mosquito netting over the beds, good hygiene and no sitting water (or add bleach to it - not a lot, just enough to kill mosquito larva) are your friend. Whether malaria or any of the other possibilities, most of the issues facing Haiti whether malaria, cholera or others are easily solvable as long as dealt with promptly and the medicine is available - so wherever you settle make sure you find out which hospitals around you are good before you need one. Usually they're private.

Although I don't have kids myself I have worked with a lot of them in Haiti and elsewhere, so I hope my answers are helpful!

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer our questions!