For decades, Haitians have been fleeing the turmoil of their country to work as seasonal laborers in the sugar cane industry in the Dominican Republic, where living and working conditions are often extremely poor, with limited access to health care, no running water or sanitary facilities, and a lack of electricity.

Feb. 29, 2012 A Haitian sugar cane worker pauses in a field on a batey in San Pedro, Dominican Republic. A batey is the name given to communities inside sugar plantations in the Dominican Republic. The plantations are worked mainly by Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent. Spencer Platt/Getty Images