Haiti, a Nation Held Hostage by Gangs
More than one million people are internally displaced, according to the IOM.
World Vision warns of irreversible damage to the physical and cognitive development of thousands of children suffering from hunger, and calls on the international community to support its efforts to help displaced populations.
Loss of learning and the indefinite suspension of classes carry a multi-million-dollar cost in lost opportunities for thousands of Haitian children, adolescents, and young people.
Port-au-Prince, January 15, 2025. Eleven months have passed since the outbreak of violence and terror that has left Haiti under siege by criminal organisations and gangs. In response, international aid organisation, World Vision, has called for international solidarity and support for the Haitian people, especially its children, as they endure this unprecedented crisis of violence, hunger and forced displacement.
“This has been a year of anguish and fear for the country as it has been held hostage by gangs. Over a million children are out of school. Thousands of families are suffering from hunger and cannot access healthcare services and essential supplies because they are being blocked by gangs. These gangs are controlling 90% of the capital—Port-au-Prince—and besieging access to and from rural areas,” explained Lesly Michaud, Country Director for World Vision.
The surge of violence initiated by "Viv Ansam," a kind of gang coalition, since February 2024, claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people in 2024. Additionally, over 2,000 women and girls bear the scars of sexual violence, as they are trapped inside a regime of terror that has isolated the capital city and obstructed access to the countryside.
World Vision is warning that this protracted insecurity has generated increased levels of hunger and malnutrition, in a country where more than 5 million Haitians already face food insecurity and one million people are internally displaced.
“The social cost of this hunger and malnutrition crisis is exponential, when we consider the irreversible harm to the physical health and cognitive development of millions of children deprived from the nutrition they need to be grow and thrive. Additionally, the closure of more than one thousand schools will impact the education of tens of thousands of children and create immeasurable costs in terms of lost opportunities,” said Michaud.
World Vision is working with local faith, and community-based organisations to restore families’ access to sustainably produced and nutritious food. In the North of Haiti, the NGO has developed family gardens to ensure food availability. “In communities such as Limonade and Bois de Lance, among many other things, we are focused on reaching returned families who have been deported from the Dominican Republic and need shelter and nutrition.”
In La Gonave, one of the poorest rural areas of the country where tens of thousands have sought safety, the organisation provides multipurpose cash assistance to support nutrition, healthcare, and access to essential supplies for families.
The disruption in supply chains caused by the closure and inoperability of airports and ports has led to a sharp increase in food prices. The price of rice has risen by 75 per cent and the price of milk has increased by 56 per cent.
“In response to this massive inflation, World Vision provides direct economic assistance, distributes food, and promotes self-sustaining food production in family and community units. However, our efforts pale in comparison to the magnitude and severity of this crisis. We will not stop seeking help and calling for international solidarity. As long as one child goes hungry, we will persist. There is enough food in the world to meet their needs,” Michaud concluded.
For more information, please contact:
Mishelle Mitchell, Directora Regional External Engement y Advocacy, WVLACR
Guy Vitale-Herne, Gerente de Comunicaciones World Vision Haití guy_vital-herne@wvi.org