Haiti Declares State of Emergency

By Laura Polynice

It’s difficult to write an update on Haiti. Whenever you think it can’t get any worse, it does. 

This past weekend, gangs seemingly joined forces and carried out coordinated attacks throughout Port-au-Prince and the country. 

This Weekend’s Events:

1. Gangs attacked the airport in Port-au-Prince on Thursday in an effort to prevent the acting Prime Minister from returning from Kenya. All flights through the airport have been canceled since the event. 

2. Gangs attacked the police academy in Port-au-Prince.

3. Gangs breached the country’s largest prison in Port-au-Prince, releasing thousands of prisoners. It’s reported that, of the nearly 4,000 prisoners, only 99 remain in the prison – those who chose to remain in their cells. A second prison was also attacked. 

4. Gangs attacked police stations in several places throughout the country, gaining control of the station in Cabaret. It’s reported that the gang now controls most of that town, moving their control further north up National Route 1 (the highway which leads to PLH’s community).

5. Gang leaders announced that several of the gangs have joined forces and will not stop their attacks until acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry is removed from power. 

6. After the weekend’s events, the country declared a state of emergency and instated a curfew Monday through Wednesday. 

7. The citizens of Port-au-Prince are trapped in the city as violence escalates and shooting increases throughout the city. All routes out of the city are controlled by gangs. Schools are closed and streets are empty as everyone hides in their homes. Leaving even to find water or food is a life-threatening mission.

8. Food insecurity continues. 1.4 million people face emergency levels of food insecurity with 4.35 million people suffering from acute hunger. 

9. All of this comes after January 2024 was labeled the “most violent month” in the past 2 years in Haiti with more than 1,100 people killed, injured, or kidnapped.

10. On Friday, Ariel Henry and the Kenyan President signed a deal to move forward with the proposal to send 1,000 Kenyan police to Haiti, a plan devised by the UN Security Council, paid for largely by the US, and initially halted by the Kenyan parliament. Other Caribbean nations also discussed an effort to organize a multinational force to send to Haiti. 

Video: Haiti declares state of emergency amid escalating violence and prison break (CBS) 

The Political Situation

After the assassination of President Jovenel Moise with no prime minister installed, several candidates stepped forward to run the country. Ariel Henry won the power grab and has been acting as Prime Minister since. Most of the population does not view him as a legitimate leader of the country as he was not elected. Henry signed an agreement that he would organize elections in 2023 and hand over power on Feb 7, 2024.

In November of 2023, Guy Phillipe, a revolutionary and accused drug smuggler who led the 2004 coup against President Aristide, returned to Haiti after serving several years in US prison. He began to call for protests throughout the country to start a “revolution”. With no elections in sight, protests broke out around the country in February to call for Ariel Henry to step down. Henry has since stated that he will organize elections in 2025 and hand over power in 2026.

Haiti is Hurting

Hopelessness is spreading throughout the country. Every month brings new levels of suffering. Gangs are armed with military grade weapons, drones, and vehicles. The police are overwhelmingly outnumbered and outgunned. The people have no way to defend themselves and are running out of places to hide. People fear that they will all die before help comes. 

PLH is Standing Steadfast

We share all of this to bring awareness to the suffering that our Haitian brothers and sisters are facing, to bring light to the injustices happening in this corner of the world that we serve. While things are dark and it is hard to say when and how Haiti will rise from this, we continue to hold on to hope for Haiti. PLH believes that God has a brighter future ahead for Haiti. We remain steadfast in our mission of empowering Haitians to build a stronger Haiti. The PLH programs continue to offer hope and purpose through athletic programs for youth, valuable training courses for adults, and a commitment to stand with those we serve and partner with them to bring about a stronger future for their community and nation. 

Christmas in Haiti

YOUTH CHRISTMAS PARTY

This GivingTuesday, PLH raised funds to make Christmas special for our youth and staff. On December 22nd, PLH held a Christmas party for the youth that participate in our soccer, basketball and artisan programs as well as their parents. Everyone enjoyed a special time with song and dance performances, speeches from the PLH staff and coaches speaking on the vision and values of PLH, and a meal of rice, beans and chicken. Our staff estimate that there were over 600 people in attendance. The coaches enjoyed being able to meet and speak with so many parents. Because of your support on GivingTuesday, all the families received a gift of basic food supplies to help feed their family during the holidays. 310 bags were distributed to the families, each including rice, beans, oil and spaghetti. Parents shared their appreciation for the program and how glad they are to have a safe place for their kids to play and grow.

Thank you for supporting PLH on GivingTuesday and making this event possible!

STAFF CHRISTMAS PARTY

In addition to the player party, PLH hosted a Christmas party for our staff and their families. This has been an annual event since 2018. PLH values family and encourages our staff to put their families first, be present parents to their children, and lead their families in following Christ. These parties are a chance for PLH to show our appreciation to our staff and their families and encourage them. Like the players’ families, each family received a gift of food supplies.

NEW Basketball Program

This past spring, PLH launched its first basketball program. We were excited to see how the sport would attract new youth. The informal practices grew quickly, and in the fall we started formal registration for the program. We now have over 70 youth participating in basketball with 42 of those being girls! Only five of these players are crossovers from our soccer program. We are thrilled to have so many new youth and especially so many girls. While soccer in the states is popular for girls, in Haiti it is typically played by boys. We have had a few girls play in our soccer program over the years, and we still hope to have a girls soccer team. We are encouraged and excited by the overall success of the basketball program and we plan to launch volleyball in 2024.

We have many goals and plans for 2024, and we can’t wait to share those with you in the new year. We thank you for standing strong with PLH during this challenging year. We know all the successes of the year are due to your faithfulness and God’s grace and guidance.

U.N. Approves Sending International Force to Haiti

Monday October 3, 2023 the U.N. Security Council voted to approve sending a multinational force to Haiti. The goal of the mission is to combat the extreme gang violence and steadily worsening conditions. 

We pray for a successful mission, for peace for the country, and for an end to this suffering caused by gangs and corruption. We pray and we trust that change is coming, that Haiti will rise from this current tragedy and become a stronger nation. 

Thank you for standing strong with PLH and Haiti through these challenging times. 

Learn more about the U.N. approval:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/haiti-un-mission-international-force-kenya/
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1141802
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/09/1141632

A Cement Emergency

By Laura Polynice

If you’ve ever been to Haiti or have been following work in Haiti for a while, you know getting anything accomplished takes a lot of effort. There are challenges and roadblocks at every turn. Now, with the political situation and the insecurity created by the gangs, it is even more difficult than usual to get anything done. Nonetheless, with the persistence of our staff, creativity in planning, and the collaboration of the community, things still get done. Let me give you one example from earlier this week. 

PLH has been working to build a bridge to replace some culverts in the PLH driveway. A heavy rain this spring washed out the culverts and the overflow of water became a threat to our basketball court. 

Heavy rains washed out a small retaining wall next to the basketball court. 

The project was moving along well and the bosses began to pour the final top slab of concrete for the bridge. As they were working, it became apparent that they did not have enough bags of cement. Remember, all concrete in Haiti is mixed on site either by hand or with a small, ½ yard concrete mixer like we have. We purchased the estimated amount of gravel, sand, and cement, but now the bridge was at risk of being compromised by running out of cement halfway through the pour.

Typically, we get our cement and other materials from a supplier and pay our bill at the end of the month. Due to the insecurity on the roads, however, this supplier did not have any cement in stock. So, our Haitian Operations Manager began the hunt. As he had just finished paying out the organization’s payroll for the month, he did not have the cash in hand to purchase more cement. He hurried to the bank to make a withdrawal; however, the bank had just closed. He was able to talk to the security and convince them to let him in to talk to the teller. Inside, the teller told him the bank did not have cash to give - dollars or gourdes. He left the bank, made some calls, and was able to write a check to someone who gave him the cash in return. Now, he was off to purchase the cement! But, it was nowhere to be found. 

Our manager scoured the city of Saint Marc as well as a couple neighboring towns. Everywhere he asked, they said, “Don’t ask me about cement! There is no cement!” 

He returned to Camp Marie empty handed and went to speak to someone in the community, asking if he had any cement. He did not, but he said another man had a project he was planning to do next week and he had some cement. Our manager went and talked to the community member who generously loaned PLH 65 bags of cement. The PLH staff loaded up the cement and delivered it to the project where it was mixed up and added to the pour. The bosses finished up the work after a 12 hour day, and our manager began to devise how he would find 65 bags of cement within the next week to replace what we had borrowed. 

Nothing is easy in Haiti right now. Everyone is suffering - even those who aren’t being run out of their home, watching family members be tortured, dying of starvation, or being kidnapped or killed. Resources are scarce. Money is tricky to acquire even if you have it in the bank. Traveling anywhere is a risk to your life. And yet, life must go on. Projects must continue. Progress must be made. We pray for peace for the country, for an end to this suffering caused by gangs and corruption. Beyond that, however, we pray for progress, that Haiti can come out of this current tragedy and become a stronger nation that functions well and provides opportunity to its people. PLH exists to empower Haitians to build a stronger Haiti. This mission is long and difficult, but we work with a long-term vision and hope for a brighter future. Thank you for being a part of it and for joining us in this mission. 

To watch a short Facebook video reel of the bridge being built click on the button below!

July 2023 🇭🇹 Haiti News

By Guesly Dessieux
Executive Director and Founder

There are days when I think about Haiti and tears start flowing out of my eyes as I feel powerless to change the situation. The news continues to weigh heavy on our hearts, but we remain optimistic and continue to work under traumatic conditions while attempting to meet the needs of those most at risk: children and youth. Many organizations have had to close their doors with inflation of prices and significant insecurity. PLH is standing strong and has responded to the national crisis. PLH employs 31 Haitians that keep our programs running. We have 200 kids and young adults participating in our programs weekly. We provide food relief to 16 churches and are feeding 130 youth weekly.  We remain steadfast to continue the work and trust in God's plan for Haiti but we need your help more than ever.  

Tomorrow, we launch our Join the Community campaign. Our goal is to raise $7000 in new monthly giving and we need your help to reach that goal. Monthly support keeps our Haitian staff employed, keeps programs going on the campus, allows us to organize events to encourage the community, and makes it possible for PLH to continue to push forward. If you are a monthly donor, I want to say a huge thank you. You have sustained PLH through some of its hardest months. If you are not a monthly donor, I want to invite you to join!

For as little as $10 a month, you can help continue the work of PLH and empower Haitians to build a stronger Haiti.

$25 a month can help keep the soccer fields mowed and lined for tournament season. 

$50 a month can help cover teacher and coach salaries.

$100 a month can help provide nutritious meals for youth to combat the increasing food insecurity.

May 2023 Newsletter

Metal Fabrication Students

Back in 2020, PLH sent two young men, Fed and Doriva, to a level 1 welding workshop at Extollo. That winter, they assisted with erecting the two metal buildings on the campus. Since then, we have hired them to work on several small welding projects on the campus. Most recently, they built a railing for the PLH kitchen building. 

These two young men have been eager to get more welding training. We contacted Extollo to see what they could do for them. Extollo set up a private class and practicum for Fed and Doriva led by Extollo’s Haitian welders. In the mornings, they went through the new Metal Fabrication course, and in the afternoons, they put what they had learned into practice creating a rebar storage rack.

Training like this is incredibly important for Haiti. Too many young men sit unemployed with nothing to do. Then, a gang comes in and offers them purpose and power. If young men are taught valuable skills and provided with employment, they will see hope and future and not be won over by gangs. Training and education opportunities build their skills and give them purpose and hope for their future! 

Sacrifices for Education

While the insecurity and gang fighting in Haiti makes traveling anywhere dangerous, young people still know the value of an education and are willing to risk everything to learn a skill that will help them in their future. PLH has four students from Camp Marie on scholarship studying auto mechanics and electricity in Port-au-Prince. 

When school started in January, the main highway to Port-au-Prince was completely impassable due to gangs and the 6-hour detour had become riddled with gang fighting as well. The students, determined to not miss any more days of school, jumped on a bus taking a 12-hour route to get to Port-au-Prince. 

On top of that, the neighborhood in Port-au-Prince where their school and house is located has been disrupted by gang fighting. The students have to keep their ears open, eyes peeled, and heads down. They, like so many others in the country, continue their lives in the midst of war and terror because giving up is not an option. If they can get through school, become skilled in their trade, and find work, they can build up their life. If not, what future do they have? 

Do you want to be a part of building these young men’s lives? 

The total cost of the metal fabrication training was $500. If you would like to donate towards Fed and Doriva's training or support future training opportunities for other young Haitians, click here! 

The cost for the auto mechanics and electrical students (including tuition, rent, and a small living stipend) is about $1,500 per year per student. Click here to contribute to the scholarships for Clotaire, Whensondy, Chrisman, and Tchuky. 

Soccer Matches

Before we can send young men and women to receive job skills training, they have to navigate childhood and teen years. This time is equally challenging and also has the risk of losing kids to gangs, crime, alcohol, and a general lack of direction, purpose, or hope. The PLH soccer academy is about so much more than soccer. While we strive to nurture skilled soccer players, we also strive to ensure they remain in school and on a path to success. At PLH, kids find a place where they can just be kids. Here, they have a safe place to play, coaches that care about them, and adults to look up to and model their life after. Kids are shown the love of Christ, are treated with kindness and forgiveness, and are challenged to reach their full potential. 

This spring, the PLH soccer academy has organized several matches with other teams in the Saint Marc area. Players are so excited to be able to compete against other teams and test their skills. The teams have done well against the competition. One mother who came down to visit the PLH campus shared with the staff how important this academy and especially the matches are for the kids. She congratulated PLH for organizing this program for kids to play, grow, learn, and have fun. 

PLH Boots on the Ground

By Laura Polynice (Nott) 

A Slight Detour

For 5 years, I have been the constant US presence for PLH in Haiti. Guesly and Sara and their kids have served several stints in the country, and visiting teams have come to serve and work on construction projects. While I got stuck in the states for a couple months on a couple different occasions, I have been in Haiti most of these five years overseeing our Haitian management, English Institute and other programs, and the various construction projects. In the fall of 2022, my husband, Wahi, joined the PLH staff as Small Business Manager. He has worked closely with Guesly and Pierre on plans for several small businesses, worked alongside the Haiti staff every day, and gotten PLH properly filed with the various Haitian offices. In June of 2022, you may remember, we welcomed our first son, Jesher. This spring, God has put our family on a slight detour. 

The Decision

In January of 2023, the US government opened a new humanitarian parole program that allows approved, sponsored Haitians to enter the states for 2 years. After much prayerful consideration, my husband and I decided to apply as this would allow the three of us to spend some time with family, my husband to gain valuable experience in the US, and our spousal visa application to be on a much faster track. While we were waiting for the approval to come, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), announced that they were suspending service in Haiti until at least January of 2024. MAF charters flights throughout Haiti and other countries where they serve.  Their organization has been directly affected by the increasing insecurity in Port-au-Prince, and they are taking this time to reassess how to best serve and operate in Haiti. While we had never had to use their services before, with all the highways out of our area occupied by gangs, MAF has become the only safe route for us to get to Port-au-Prince and in turn the US. 

While gangs are gaining more and more control of the country causing an increase in violence and insecurity, things have remained calm and safe in our small town and nearby city. Things change every day, however, and should our safety be threatened or an urgent medical need arise, we need a way to get our son to safety. Therefore, my husband and I made the difficult decision to relocate before MAF suspended service and to stay with his parents while we wait for the travel authorization to go to the states. We both love Camp Marie, the staff, the community, and the work; however, we felt God leading us away for this season. I want to thank Guesly and PLH for trusting my husband and I to make the final decision in this difficult scenario. 

The Journey 

The decision to leave Camp Marie wasn’t the only hard thing. The journey to get to Wahi’s family was long and challenging. Typically a 2-3 hour drive, this journey took us five days, used three different forms of transportation and cost over $1,500. On Sunday morning, the PLH staff dropped us off at the wharf 20 minutes down the road. From there, we took a boat over to the island of La Gonave. If you are familiar with tap taps in Haiti, this “fly boat” is the water version. The fiberglass speed boat was loaded to the brim with 25 adults, 5 babies, luggage and cargo. The driver “flew” the boat across the water at full speed for 45 minutes. Of course, that morning the sea was fairly rough. If I were alone, I probably would have gotten over the scariness after a few minutes and enjoyed the adventure. Holding my 9-month-old baby, however, it was a frightening and difficult experience bouncing across the sea away from our home and towards an unknown future. 

A friend-of-a-friend picked us up at the wharf and put us up in their mission guesthouse for the night. The next morning, we loaded up in a 5-seater MAF plane and flew the 20 minutes to Port-au-Prince. We stayed two nights at a guesthouse in Port-au-Prince which allowed us to see some friends and Wahi to get some errands done. Wahi’s grandmother came over one afternoon to meet her newest great-grandkid. Jesher enjoyed the pool, and I enjoyed a much-needed day of rest. 

Getting to Port-au-Prince was only the first step. Though we were now just 40 minutes from Wahi’s parents’ house, the only road to get there is controlled by the 400 Mawozo gang which has kidnapped countless Haitians and famously kidnapped the 16 American missionaries. So, Wednesday morning, we returned to the airport and flew on a 9-seater plane 30 minutes to Jacmel, a town on the southern coast of Haiti. From there, we hired a LandCruiser to drive us seven and a half hours up a bumpy, Haitian mountain road to the small town of Thiotte where we found a room at an inn for the night. The next morning, another hired car came from Fonds to pick us up. We continued to drive the remaining four bumpy hours through the pine forests of Haiti until we finally arrived in Fonds Parisien Thursday evening.

Finally, we were able to relax and rest, or so we thought. Friday night, Jesher developed a fever, and we spent the next four days and long nights nursing him back to health. Thankfully, he was back to his normal self in time to enjoy Easter with the family. We are amazed at how God has walked with us and protected us in order to spend the past two Easters with Wahi’s family. Both years, the journey was full of dangers and challenges, but no matter the circumstances we know He is good and He is risen! 

The Future

Our priority is to stay together as a family. We have many friends whose families are separated due to visa restrictions and security issues. Fonds Parisien provides a safe place for us to stay together while we wait for God to reveal the next step. Wahi’s family lives just minutes from the Dominican Republic border, which means, if needed, Jesher and I can quickly get out of Haiti and on a flight to the US. We also have not seen Wahi’s family in a year due to the danger on the roads. We are excited and grateful to be able to spend this time with them and for Jesher to get to know his Polynice family and all our friends here in Fonds. 

I continue to work for PLH as Administrative Assistant and supporting our Haitian staff virtually. Wahi continues to work on the small business initiatives and gaining knowledge and experience that will serve PLH in the future. 

Our plan, once the travel authorization is approved, is to live in Oregon while we complete Wahi’s green card process. Once that is done and we are able to travel freely as a family, we will return to Camp Marie to continue the work God has given us there. 

While this wasn’t our intended route, we know God is good and he is working everything out in His timing and to His ends. It is hard not knowing how long we will be away from Camp Marie, still we look forward to this season enjoying family and experiences in the US and we await when we are able to return to Camp Marie, build our house, and get back to operations and life in Haiti.

Haitian Staff

Our decision to leave Camp Marie, means leaving the Haitian staff to manage all of the operations in Haiti. Looking back, I see how God used my time in the states delivering Jesher as a trial period. Our Haitian staff managed everything while I was out and they did a great job. They organized new summer programming for the youth, kept thorough financial records, and took care of the campus. While I have been back in Haiti, I have taken more of a back seat, leaving them to manage things and come to me only when they need me. I’m confident in their ability to carry the organization in Haiti. 

Because of the insecurity in the country, we cannot share the names and photos of our staff publicly. While we love for you to get to know them, their safety is our top priority. Please pray for all of our Haitian staff and their families. They face many, many challenges with increasing insecurity in their country, ever-rising inflation, and growing desperation in people. Pray for safety, provision, peace, endurance, and hope. Praise God that the Haitian staff are able to continue to carry out the work of PLH in Haiti.

Special Events in Haiti and in Oregon

By Laura Polynice

In the midst of the ever-increasing challenges in Haiti, men and women gathered at PLH for two special events in the past few weeks. There are very few places beyond church and soccer matches to go and enjoy time with family or friends. These events are a way for PLH to encourage and minister to the community during a time when hope is hard to hold on to. It is our goal to continue to host events like these each quarter. 

VALENTINE’S DAY

On February 14th, PLH hosted a special Valentine’s Day dinner for couples from the community. The evening included music, dancing, a lecture, games, and more. Couples enjoyed a performance from a soloist and a dancing trio. Rosemond, PLH Soccer Academy Director, and his wife shared their testimony of 28 years together. A guest lecturer spoke on the importance of family in building up society. 

Three couples competed in a round of the Newlywed game and couples worked together on a trivia quiz. Couples danced and laughed together and enjoyed a delicious meal and cake. Couples had a chance to share with the group some words about their spouse and present them with a gift. There were 45 couples in attendance. Everyone enjoyed getting dressed up and doing something special with their valentine. 

WOMEN'S DAY

March 8th was International Women’s Day. In Haiti, women are considered the “pillar of society.” They work hard keeping the house and raising their children. Most don’t have the modern conveniences that we are accustomed to in the US. This means washing dishes by hand, cooking over charcoal, and going to the street market multiple times per week to purchase perishable ingredients. Raising their children is also made more difficult by frequent school closures and the spiritual battle that exists in Haiti that is drawing youth into gangs and other trouble. On top of this, many women provide for their families by selling in the public market places or working. 

PLH hosted a women’s event on March 8th to celebrate these hard-working women and provide some fun during these hard time. Over 130 women attended. We opened with a mingle activity while the ladies enjoyed popcorn and coffee. Next, ladies colored greeting cards to take home and give to a special woman in their life. After that, we invited the ladies to join us in a little Zumba. Our secretary, my sister-in-law and I had fun preparing a routine to a Haitian song that celebrates women, and it was a blast to lead so many ladies in something they had never done. After Zumba, we had various games, and several ladies shared poems, songs, and words during an open mic time. We closed out the service with a message of encouragement from a missionary here in Haiti and worship led by some young ladies in the next town over from us. The ladies enjoyed and were encouraged by this time away from their normal stresses and routine and chance to relax and laugh together.

GOLFATHON

On Saturday, March 11th, the Golfathon team in Oregon, took Top Golf by storm as they hit golf balls in honor of their sponsors.

Thank you to our team of dedicated champions who generated sponsorships from donors to raise an incredible $40,000 in just 8 weeks to support the mission of empowering Haitians to build a stronger Haiti. 

2023 Programs Are up and Running

By Laura Polynice

After a quiet fall on the PLH campus, programs are back up and running! 

This fall was plagued by a long gas shortage which meant the PLH staff couldn’t keep up with the grass on the soccer fields and English students and teachers couldn’t find transportation to come to class. While soccer and English had to take a break, the youth artisan class was able to continue throughout the fall, a champion in Oregon provided a 7-week personal finance course for the staff via zoom, and PLH grew in partnership with the 15 churches in the area. 

January brought fuel and with it increased programming on the campus.

The soccer academy is back to practicing every weekday afternoon and every Saturday morning. More than 80 players from the community and surrounding area participate in the PLH soccer academy. Our coaches and staff have noticed a decline in the players’ nutrition. Like most of the country, our players are suffering from food insecurity. In response, the academy now provides a meal to the players each Saturday and game day, and once the PLH kitchen is operational, we will provide a meal with each practice. The players are excited to be back to regular practices, grateful to receive a meal, and motivated by several matches on the schedule. 

English classes are also back in session. Every Saturday, there are three classes that meet on the campus: Level 1, Level 2, and a specialized advanced course on Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Students continue to be motivated to learn despite all the challenges and obstacles before them. 

The artisan class continues to provide youth with skills in artisan crafts including beading, weaving, soap making, and more. 

Watch for an update soon on the Valentine’s Dinner PLH hosted for couples from the community. 

While the challenges in Haiti continue, we are thankful to again have soccer, English, and other activities happening on the campus every day. Please continue to pray for Haiti and for the community of Camp Marie.