“I am ashamed in the name of the world that we cannot find in ourselves to be more compassionate, to be more kind, to recognize what people here are going through,” said Tom Fletcher, who heads the United Nations Emergency Rescue Agency, OchhaDuring a visit to the Caribbean nation.
“I listened to people whose life was destroyed by brutal violence,” he said. “” They are desperate for security, dignity, hope. I refuse to believe that we cannot do better for them. “”
A country of 11 million, Haiti continues to deal with a serious humanitarian and protection crisis in the midst of a cholera epidemic and an increase in malnutrition rates.
Half of all Haitians face food insecurity and unprecedented forced travel levels that tripled last year for more than a million people, according to a update By Ocha, which noted that large -scale travel continued in 2025.
A baby is taken care of in a health facitality in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
‘They don’t want to be here’
For more than a year, the gangs resumed large expanses inside and outside the capital, Port-au-Prince, violating, killing, plundering civil infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, as well as the removal of recruits of children to fight.
” Right away, Up to half of all members of the armed group are children“Said Ocha. »»Fear permeates everyday life“While families are forced to leave their homes and seek shelter, food and security.
“They have been moved several times by violence,” said Fletcher, who met with authorities, partners and affected families living in makeshift shelters. “They want to live their life like anyone else.
“They don’t want to be here. They want to rebuild their lives. They want education for their children. They want health care they need. They need drinking water. “
Live “in misery”
Some displaced families have shared their fate, notably Roudy Jean, who said: “We must be able to live in a normal way, as in the rest of the world”.
Cashmina Jean-Michel, a woman moved by the violence of the gangs, said that she once had a beauty salon and staff employee, but lost everything.
“At 5 am, there were a lot of shots,” she recalls. “I lost everything, my property, my business, but the safety of my children was my top priority. I had no choice but to make them run and run immediately. Today, I live in a very small space in misery, where I can only keep one of my children while others have to stay with friends. ”
Many families have been moved two or three times, said the United Nations aid chief.
The UN help coordinator, Tom Fletcher, meets a family in Port-au-Prince, in Haiti.
Food and shelter shortages
Innocent Fagnau, vice-president of a site for internally displaced people like Mr. Jean and Mrs. Jean-Michel, described the current challenges.
“Now, with the quantity of people we have currently, this space has not been designed for this use,” he said.
“There is also a food problem on this site. The quantity of food we receive to distribute, for example, we finish the amount of here, but what about 15 or 16 hours? People should always be able to eat something. ”
Rebuild lives, overcome despair
The OCCED’H Youth Center provides rays of hope, specifically targeting adolescents and young people from the communities affected by armed violence and those living on sites for internal people in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, where access to education and training is extremely limited.
The Center offers practical and professional training at nearly 300 students, including Phanie wissese, who learns leather crafts.
“I love to develop my creative skills, and if you take Cuircraft seriously and put your whole heart in what you do,” she said, “it can help you achieve economic independence.”
‘We must be here’
During a visit to the youth center, Mr. Fletcher said: “We can find ways to repel this crisis, against a feeling of despair and deterioration because here … These young people, they cut their hair, they do manicures, they teach Pédicure, they make bracelets, they learn to repair motorcycles. But, finally, they rebuild their lives. ”
He said the world had to lend a hand in this regard.
“We can see that people can also strengthen their communities, not only as an individual, but as a society, as a Haiti, and ultimately, that is why we must be here,” he said. “This is why the world must be here, helping them to rebuild the ruins of their lives as despair. »»
‘It’s not enough’
While the United Nations agencies are disturbed to provide essential support and goods and services, Mr. Fletcher said that more should be done.
To date, the humanitarian call for Haiti remains seriously underfunded. Of the $ 908 million necessary to meet urgent needs, only 11% are funded, leaving a financing gap of $ 800 million.
“That is not enough,” said the head of the United Nations. “I cannot believe that we have so much trouble collecting the funds necessary to support these families when they try to rebuild their lives, but we must be there for them. We have to do better. “
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
