Haiti Crisis Update: Lives Touched in the Midst of Suffering

By Laura Polynice

Haiti fades in and out of the US news, but the situation continues to be dire for the people of Haiti. 

While an interim government was instituted in May and 400 Kenyan officers have arrived in Haiti, there has been no improvement in the security situation. In many areas, the gang activity has gotten worse. Some communities are standing firm and defending their towns from the gangs’ attacks, while other areas have been overrun by the gangs and the population has been forced to flee. On October 3, a gang attack in the community of Pont-Sonde, 45 minutes from PLH’s campus, left 115 men, women, and children dead.

(Source: NPR - Oct 10, 2024)

The UN reports, “Gang violence and political instability have resulted in a record 702,973 people internally displaced (IDPs) [forced to flee their homes and unable to return], making Haiti the country with the largest number of displacements globally due to crime-related violence.” With a population of just 11.7 million, this is a significant percentage of the population.

(Source: UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) - Oct 3, 2024. For more information, data, and charts, check out the interactive report.) 

The gangs’ stronghold on the country continues to deepen the hunger crisis in Haiti. Nearly half of the population, 5.4 million people, are experiencing "crisis levels of hunger or worse."

(Source: Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) - Sept 20, 2024)

Children are also missing out on an education as schools are frequently forced to close. Nearly 900 schools remain permanently closed, affecting almost 200,000 children.
(Source: UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) - Oct 3, 2024)

While it is hard to see how things will improve and what we can do to help stop so much suffering, Project Living Hope remains firm in its mission of empowering Haitians to build a stronger Haiti. 

We have seen tremendous growth in the PLH athletics programs, virtual training workshops, and food relief efforts. Programs like these are key in keeping youth away from the influence of gangs and equipping individuals to build a better future for themselves and their family. Every person touched by these programs is a life changed and a positive step for Haiti.

The Crisis in Haiti: Humanitarian Catastrophe

By Laura Polynice

“An economic crisis, a gang crisis, and a political crisis have converged into a humanitarian catastrophe," stated UN Special Representative Helen La Lime. "We must not lose hope, but rather combine our efforts to find a pathway to a better tomorrow”

While Haiti has seen many cycles of protests, gas shortages and insecurity, the current situation is the worst it has been. Even if things opened up tomorrow, the country cannot continue to live under the terror of these warring groups. The Haitian people are powerless and tired of fighting to survive. “We are not humans. We are just bodies struggling to survive.” This is a common sentiment among the Haitian people.

A few weeks ago, a couple family members of one of our staff got into a knife fight landing them both in the hospital in critical condition. When I told this to Guesly, he asked how two grown men cound be so dumb as to engage in a knife fight. I responded that when you have no job, no way to feed your family, no purpose, and no hope for your future or your children’s future, you lose all reason to live. With the reality of life in Haiti, putting value on your life or other people’s lives takes a lot of faith. 

With all the issues in Haiti, it is natural to ask how things are ever going to change. On the national level, it is hard to say. We pray and we hope. PLH’s mission, however, is to empower Haitians to build a stronger Haiti. We believe that lasting change in the country begins on the individual and community level. If individuals are empowered to be able to take care of themselves and their families and if communities are empowered to work together to bring about positive development, then change will begin to ripple out, and the effects will be immeasurable. Education, employment, sustainability, responsibility, and unity – these are the things that will change Haiti. By empowering Haitians, you are helping them to build a stronger Haiti.

What’s going on in Haiti? Part 2: The Present Situation

By Laura Polynice (Nott)

In Part 1, we looked at the history of Haiti and how the Independence Debt crippled the young nation of Haiti. In this installment, we will look at what is happening in Haiti today. 

Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July of 2021, a crime that is still under investigation, the country has fallen into more and more chaos and hurt. Gangs have been gaining power over the last few years. Military-grade arms have been smuggled in. Now, the gangs are far more armed than the police force. They rule certain areas of the country effectively cutting off major highways and forcing whole neighborhoods to abandon their homes. Estimates say that from June 2020 to June 2021 more than 13,600 people in parts of Port-au-Prince were displaced due to gang violence. According to the UN, another 17,000 people have been displaced since April of this year. Families in the neighborhood of Santo were forced to flee on motorcycles as gang violence broke out between warring gangs. One of the PLH Haitian staff members and his wife and children were among these families. They have been unable to return to their home since. 

Kidnappings are also at unprecedented numbers. In 2021, 1,032 kidnappings were reported. This year is already showing a more than 50% increase with more than 200 kidnappings reported in the month of May alone. It used to be that the business elite would be targeted, but now everyone from the highest to the lowest class is at risk of being kidnapped for ransom or killed. As inflation rises in the US, the cost of food and other goods, which are largely imported from the United States, has been rising. Resources can’t be moved around the country due to the insecurity on the highways. This means produce is left to rot in certain areas while people in other areas starve. Elections have been postponed, and it’s looking unlikely that any will occur this fall. 

It’s impossible to say who is really behind this gang activity or when or how it will end. The question must be asked, when will we stop calling them gangs and label them as what they are: terrorist groups. These are not inner-city gangs fighting turf wars. These are organized groups more powerful than any other entity in Haiti that kill civilians and have free reign of the country.

The situation in Haiti is serious and does not appear to be getting better. So, how are we supposed to respond?

What can you do today? 

• Pray: We believe that God loves Haiti and has a plan for Haiti. In our Haiti staff devotions one morning, we were reading Acts 13. In verses 17 through 19, Paul says, “The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers. He made them into a great people during their stay in Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of that land. He endured their conduct for about forty years in the wilderness. And having vanquished seven nations in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance.” Then in the next verse, he says, “All this took about 450 years.” 450 years! We talk about God delivering the Israelites out of Egypt. We know they wandered in the desert for 40 years. But from deliverance to inheritance was 450 years! Haiti has only been a nation for 218 years. God’s plans are so much bigger than we see or can imagine. God may not deliver Haiti from its current challenges in the next year or even in our lifetime, but we have faith that He does have a plan and He is working even today. We pray in faith and in hope. Pray for peace. Pray for an end to corruption and violence. Pray for development, opportunity, and better education. Pray that the Haitian people will thrive.

In the final part of this series, we will discuss how the current situation is affecting PLH and our community of Camp Marie and discuss more ways you can help.

*News sources:

“Feeling violence that reaches unimaginable levels in Haiti.” Dominican Today, June 28, 2021

https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2021/06/28/fleeing-violence-that-reaches-unimaginable-levels-in-haiti/ 

“Haiti: Thousands displaced as gang violence, insecurity escalate.” Aljazeera, June 15, 2021

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/15/haiti-thousands-displaced-as-gang-violence-insecurity-escalates

“There were 200 kidnappings in Haiti in May, United Nations agency says.” Miami Herald, June 3, 2022

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article262125347.html

*While the content is not visually graphic some parts of these videos may be difficult to watch. Viewers’ discretion is advised. City of Gangs: Croix-des-Bouquets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjBymw1Hums

City of Gangs: Downtown Port-au-Prince https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpq5u-YyEwI

City of Gangs: Martissant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-cOdu_XWTU