How about Nicaragua??? It often trades places with Haiti as "poorest shithole in the Western Hemisphere". I was in RAAN, the jungles of the northeast corner, which is basically the poorest corner of the poorest country.
Observations: Nature sucks, especially when combined with human stupidity. Some areas are huge natural floodplains, that are flooded during hurricanes. Picture a riverside village in the jungle. Now picture the entire area, hundreds of square miles, under 20 feet of flood water. The government moved people to these areas. (Of course, this makes as a much sense as Americans living in Red River/Mississippi flood plains). Then the beach front hovels that are swept out to sea with each hurricane (welcome to FL).
We'd take crapped out school buses from the village to other smaller villages for missions work. Ave road speed due to conditions: about 10-15 mph. We'd return at night, and could tell we were approaching the village by the smell: Over-burdened outhouses, pig shit in the streets, and burning garbage.
Overall, was left with one major negative impression: People are living where people should not be trying to live. No soils to speak off and a truly miserable climate mean its incredibly hard to grow foods. major regular storms that wipe out everything, geologic faults that cause regular quakes, volcanoes that erupt, etc. I know we can often temporarily over come these with massive amounts of infrastructure and aid, but its not long-term liveable. And I extrapolate that to 1st world countries. Every time I see some idiot build a home on a flood plain, at the foot of a massive slope, on a coastal barrier islands, I think "you stupid twat".....
No freaking money or development anywhere. There was massive corruption at the govt level, so people overthrew the govt. (I got to see the volcanic lake where the bodies of political dissidents where thrown during the 60's and 70's. Its chilling). Of course, the new government isn't any better. Its just as corrupt. The only ones with any resources are either elected politicians or the wealthy who control them. It's not all that different from Washington. How is it that a local middle class fella gets elected, goes to DC, serves three or four terms, and retires massively wealthy????