Update on Activities in Haiti
Cholera has returned to Haiti after a more than three-year absence, killing 483 and leaving medical teams struggling with 1,742 confirmed cases and another 24,000 suspected cases nationwide, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. As Cholera is sweeping Haiti, many hospitals and sanitation efforts are pushed closer to the brink as local gang violence and food shortages drive up the number of hungry and desperate people. Peace Winds is raising funds to begin doing water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions to spread awareness about cholera and how to prevent it.
While the highest level of food insecurity, classified as “famine,” was recorded in Haiti for the first time in October, some 4.7 million people — more than a third of the population — now face a “severe” food crisis. Widespread violence and insecurity continue to prevent NGOS from reaching people in need because access to areas can be blocked by armed groups.
Peace Winds recent work with disabled earthquake survivors continues to face many challenges. Plagued by crime gangs, and extreme poverty, economic recovery efforts have been compounded by the severe food crisis. The price of imported food has shot up 43% in the last year, while local produce has risen 23%. Access to the rural areas in the southern peninsula continues to be cut off from the rest of the country by gangs that control an area of Port-au-Prince, known as Martissant.
Haitians often have difficulty getting to the market or their place of work because of street violence, including kidnapping and murder. Things are particularly bad in Port-au-Prince, which is effectively governed by gangs and people are routinely blocked from leaving their homes. More than 155,000 people are estimated to be displaced in the Port-au-Prince metro area.
This insecurity directly affects Peace Winds’ ability to respond to the emergency. Fuel shortages, road blockages, and violence prevent staff from getting to work and being able to reach communities in need. Gas is running between $40 and $50 a gallon on the black market.
More funding is urgently needed, as little improvement has been made on overall political, social, and economic stability in Haiti. People are being pushed further into being more food insecure and really struggling in terms of meeting their own basic food needs. Please Join Peace Winds by supporting our efforts to meet these desperate needs in Haiti!