Humanitarian Crisis in Haiti – World Humanitarian Day 2023

Humanitarian. 

As a verb this means actively seeking to promote human welfare. 

As a noun, a humanitarian is someone who seeks to promote human welfare. 

World Humanitarian Day is about humans promoting the welfare of their fellow humans. 

Examples of welfare include, but are not limited to, the physiological needs to survive (ie food, water, sleep, etc) and safety (ie shelter, security of body and resources, etc).

In order to be promoted effectively, one must be informed about the areas in which the welfare of our brothers and sisters is lacking.

For those specifically interested in the welfare of those in Haiti, below are examples in which welfare is, and has been for some time, severely lacking.

Food and Nutrition:

• The price of food has gone up 53% due to inflation. 
• Solely because of hunger, over 500 people are dying daily and almost 4,000 per week.
• 75% of the Haitian population live in rural areas, therefore, urgent measures are needed to save lives and quickly restore agriculture livelihoods of vulnerable farmers (WFP Hunger HotSpots Report May 2023).
• Recorded for the first time in the history of Latin America and the Caribbean, Haiti was found to be at a Catastrophic Level 5 hunger rating. This rating is typically only recorded in war-torn nations (Level 5 Hunger, Catastrophic).

Water:

• Only 43% of all Haitians have access to basic drinking water supplies compared to the average of other Caribbean countries whose average is 90%, according to the World Bank (WORLD BANK, WATER).
• Cholera, a very preventable disease caused by drinking from an unsafe water source, reimerged in Haiti in Oct 2022 after the fuel terminal was blocked and communities could not receive the necessary water deliveries. Instead, for over 50 days, they were left to drink from the only sources they had which included water contaminated by raw sewage. 
• Over 30,000 have been reported with Cholera in Haiti. Healthcare workers say this number is largely underreported. 20% of those reported are children ages 4 and younger, and over 16% of reported cases are children ages 5-9 (Relief Web Cholera Report).
• Extreme flooding in June 2023 ramped up the number of Cholera cases. Specifically in Jacmel, in the Sud-Est, it was reported that over 70 cases were admitted to the State Hospital in just over a week post flooding. 

Safety: 

• In April 2023 alone, gang violence killed over 600 Haitians.
• The United Nations estimates 30% of Haitian girls and women between the ages of 15-30 years old have been victims of sexual assault (Relief Web, Gang Violence Report June 2023). 
• It is estimated there are over 300 gangs in Haiti. 

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE: 

Over 300 Haitians run the churches, the schools and the hospital, and promote the well-being of their communities. Their goal is to be the hands and feet of Jesus by sharing what resources they may have with others in their communities, providing the best care they can with the little resources they have, and encouraging one another to persevere. 

What can you do with the information above to actively promote the well-being of those in Haiti? There are several effortless ways you can help! Email us at [email protected], and we will let you know how you can help from right where you are. 

Additional ways to partner with Haitian Christian Outreach: 

PRAYER: Together, let’s pray for a BREAKTHROUGH. Pray for the country. Pray for Haiti. That the Lord’s Will be done. We pray for the stability of their land to be regained. We pray for wisdom over the leadership and safety, security, and restoration of the country that we all love so dearly. Lord, show them that in this time of uncertainty, Your Word is the most potent weapon of all. Prayer changes everything. 

SHARE: Share with your family and friends about the work God is doing through our ministry in Haiti. One way to share on social media is through an online fundraiser. CLICK HERE for more information, tools, and resources on how to get started. 

GENEROSITY: Become a monthly partner with Haitian Christian Outreach. We have many areas of the ministry you can partner with. CLICK HERE to give monthly.