Haiti (MNN) — The number of displaced children in Haiti has nearly doubled in the past year, UNICEF reports.
Gang violence, malnutrition, and loss of educational services and infrastructure feed into each other, forming a “polycrisis” that threatens Haiti’s Next Generation.
(Photo courtesy of Zach Vessels via Unsplash)
A lack of schooling makes kids especially vulnerable to danger. Even when people flee to areas where there are schools, “They don’t have the money, because all they took with them is the clothes on their backs,” For Haiti With Love’s Roseline DeHart explains.
“Surviving is a priority.”
Many displaced families and kids live on the streets. “This is also a problem,” De Hart says, “because anybody can give those kids money to go do any trouble – anything they want them to do – just for survival.”
For Haiti With Love points the people they serve to God and to hope in Him for their future. When they have the budget, they give food, build homes, and offer a school support program.
“We always tell them that God doesn’t want them to live like that. Even though the country is the way it is, it’s not God’s plan,” De Hart says.
“They’re the future of Haiti. They can go to school and make it better, and God has a plan for them.”
Pray for God’s mercy on Haiti and consider giving financially to For Haiti With Love. “We just keep doing all we can, and we ask for support so we can continue to do it,” De Hart says.
Header image depicts Haitian children circa 2014. Photo credit MNN/Katey Hearth.
