As you know, Haiti continues to face an unprecedented humanitarian and political crisis. In the past two weeks, armed violence has surged, especially following the recent removal of Prime Minister Gary Conille, an alleged ally of gangs. His dismissal has intensified gang activity, leaving Port-au-Prince extremely dangerous.
While media reports highlighted recent attacks on aircraft, they overlooked the nearly 20,000 Haitians forced from their homes at gunpoint, bringing the total displaced across the country to over 700,000. Initially, the FAA banned all flights (both cargo and passenger) from entering Haiti for 30 days. This ban has since been modified to affect only Port-au-Prince, leaving Cap-Haïtien in the north open. However, with Port-au-Prince isolated and supply routes from the north cut off by gang activity, Haiti’s access to essential supplies remains severely limited. The population will continue to face critical shortages, further escalating prices and deepening the crisis.
So far, things have remained relatively calm in Kenscoff. However, earlier this week, Petionville was infiltrated by gangs. For those of you who have traveled with C4C, you will remember Petionville as the more affluent city south of PAP, where we would stop for groceries or dine-in restaurants. Thus far, community members and business leaders, alongside reinforced police efforts, have held off the gang incursion. Approximately 28 gang members were killed and police seized ammunition. Having the gangs target Petionville (20 minutes from Kenscoff) is an alarming situation.
We are disappointed that the multinational security force has still not been fully deployed, and the initial force has not had more impact. We will continue to work diligently to keep all of our 15 church and community programs operating. There are thousands of children and families who depend on C4C for food, medical care, school, and economic livelihood, and we shoulder this burden with great responsibility. Unfortunately, delivering supplies to some of our locations has become nearly impossible. We currently have two feeding programs (Foret des Pins and Grand Riviere) that are without food. This is heartbreaking knowing we have children who are going hungry and we are fervently working on a solution to deliver food to them.
People wonder if any real progress can be made amid this crisis. The answer is yes. Even in these challenging times, C4C’s work is achieving important results. In fact, we can and must continue to invest in Haitian communities to drive sustainable economic and social change. Haiti’s future depends on self-sustaining communities, and together, we are making a difference.
We ask for your prayers for Pastor Phaton, the manager of our Feeding Programs, who lives in one of Port-au-Prince’s most dangerous areas and an area that has seen a significant amount of violence in the last few days. Please also pray for the children in our feeding programs and that we will find safe ways to continue providing them with essential support.
Thank you for your prayers, compassion, and generous support. Together, we are turning despair into hope for the children and communities we serve.
To support this work and stand alongside the resilient people of Haiti, we invite you to donate today.