A Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked in Labadie. Photo: Rob Inh00d (flickr)

It's not an uncommon theme in the Caribbean: Beyond the most beautiful shorelines exists some of the most extreme poverty in the world.

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti boasts an exclusive beach resort in the northwest coastal town Labadie. The Haitian Government sold the land to cruise giant Royal Caribbean years ago to boost tourism, but PRI's The World reports that the fishing village remains poor despite the flock of tourists who come ashore twice a week.

Labadie's 5,000 residents reap little benefit from the cruise ships — one of which is ironically called "Freedom of the Seas" — that dock in their town. Tourists rarely venture past the private beaches and only a handful of locals work for Royal Caribbean. A few years ago, the community developed its own non-profit to deliver the services it needs. Their organization, Vwa Ayiti (Voice of Haiti), built composting toilets that turn waste into fertilizer. Community members are developing a water treatment system, and are partnering with Canadian NGOs to set up a Haitian-run medical clinic in a neighboring village.

Tourists have little idea what life is like in Labadie, preferring to stay close to the pristine shoreline, free from signs of a difficult life. “I don’t want to see poverty,” an American woman told The New York Times. “I’m on vacation. I don’t want to think that these people don’t have enough to eat.”

Vwa Ayiti's efforts can't take on all of the community's problems, but according to The World, the organization has strengthened the identity of Labadie's residents. An elder in the community shared his view on the program: "In Labadie, life depends on God's help and on your neighbors and friends. Without them, you can't survive here."