Haiti (MNN) — On May 18, Haitians celebrated the creation of their flag over 200 years ago during the Haitian Revolution.
“It’s a very significant day. It’s a day of pride for Haiti’s people,” says Kate Michel with Radio-TV 4VEH, a partner of TWR. “It’s usually celebrated with parades and marching bands and people dressed in Haitian national costumes.”
The team at Radio-TV 4VEH (The Evangelistic Voice of Haiti) provided live coverage of the Flag Day parade in Cap-Haitien. (Glimpse the recorded coverage here to get a taste of what it was like!)
Haitian women at a market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Stock photo courtesy of Heather Suggitt via Unsplash)
But the backdrop of Haiti’s Flag Day 2026 remains sober, amid the country’s ongoing security concerns.
Last week, Haiti’s prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aime, announced yet another delay in the country’s election timeline. He said August 2026 elections are not possible, suggesting the end of 2026 instead, with the idea of a new president taking office on February 7, 2027.
Michel says delayed elections are nothing new to Haitians. “In general, people are looking for change and hopeful for change, but skeptical about the change that is promised,” she says. “I think most people are of the attitude, ‘Wait and see. We want this to work. We’re hopeful, but we need to see the proof.’”
Into this mix of hope and hard realities, 4VEH serves Haitians right where they are at. Its broadcasts include gospel programs, Bible readings, farming resources, sports coverage, and more.
Michel says that this summer, 4VEH is preparing special coverage of Haiti’s soccer team, which qualified for the FIFA World Cup.
“Haitians are sports fanatics, especially of football or soccer,” says Michel. “We want to be able to reach Haiti’s people who are sports fans, but may not yet be Jesus fans. It’s a way to serve Haiti’s people and provide some great content for them, which will include some gospel messages as well.”
Please pray for equipment issues to be resolved before the World Cup. Pray also for God’s blessing over 4VEH’s summer youth programs, beginning in June.
Then, praise God! Over the Easter weekend, Michel says 160,000 people watched The Jesus Film on 4VEH’s online platforms. One viewer asked a poignant question that Michel says gets at the heart of religion in Haiti: “Can you be saved while you’re observing the law?”
“People understand about God, but it’s based on works. It’s based on the things that you need to do for salvation or the things that you need to do to appease the voodoo spirits,” she explains. “We’re able to say Jesus offers us salvation freely. We’re able to come to Him exactly as we are, and He accepts us and will forgive us. That’s great news in Haiti.”
Above all, keep praying for Haiti.
“It’s a very complex country, with very deep, significant needs for Haiti’s people,” says Michel. “Keep praying that God will bring peace and stability, and that people will have hope in the Lord, despite what’s going on around them.”
Header photo courtesy of Radio-TV 4VEH.
