Armed gangs led two massive prison breaks in and around the capital city of Port-au-Prince over the weekend. The government declared a 72-hour state of emergency starting Sunday night, renewable in 72 hour periods. Since then, gangs attempted to take control of Haiti’s international airport and civilians are desperate for safety.

Photo of Ariel Henry courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach (CWO) says the chaos is not going to resolve quickly. 

“It’s just baffling that that things can get this bad. There’s no real leadership, and no infrastructure to be able to take care of getting things back under control,” Yoder says.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Kenya at the time, trying to secure a plan for Kenyan forces to help combat Haiti’s crippling gang violence.

Yoder says, “Our national director let me know he’s heard that gangs are using drones so they know where to move and where they can get around things. They’re using technology that maybe the military and police don’t necessarily have there.”

The director also said, “So far over 80% of the people living in and around (Port-au-Prince) are displaced. They have been kicked out of their homes or forced to leave because of the crippling fear of being gunned down, raped, or constrained to become gang members.

“No one is secure in the country. Twenty-seven police stations have so far been destroyed or burnt down. People are starving and going through dire suffering.”

CWO has a nearly fifty-year history of providing aid, training and care to Haiti along with the gospel. They are asking for financial assistance to meet the flood of requests for help coming their way. 

(Image is a representative stock photo courtesy of StockSnap/Pixabay)

“We’re there to help with the physical needs and things we can help with here on Earth. But our ultimate goal is to use those opportunities to share the gospel and give a gospel of hope,” Yoder says.

“When there’s hopelessness, that’s when people are willing to hear and listen to the gospel, because it’s a gospel of hope.”

Click here to learn how CWO comes alongside the nation of Haiti and how you can partner with them.

“Pray for the church leadership not to fear, for protection for them as they continue to just share the gospel in (the) country.”

Header photo is a representative stock image from Haiti courtesy of TopSphere Media/Unsplash.

Protests have spiked all around the country as people call for Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation. Henry signed a non-binding accord in 2022 that general elections and a transfer of power would happen by February 7, 2024. That did not happen.

(Photo courtesy For Haiti With Love)

Henry says Haiti’s national security needs to be brought higher before elections can take place. This is not the first call for Henry’s resignation, nor the first time elections have been pushed back during his time in office since 2021. 

In the midst of the national turmoil, For Haiti With Love’s doors remain open. 

Roseline DeHart with For Haiti With Love says their clinic helps anyone who needs it, whether from cuts, bullet wounds, burns or other needs. They also give out food when possible. 

“We are there to help them whoever they are. No question asked,” DeHart says. 

According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, 2.5 million Haitians live on less than $1.25 USD per day. 

“If they can eat today, they thank God. But they might not be able to eat tomorrow,” says DeHart. 

“One egg costs 50 cents, but not everybody is able to get that 50 cents. With the riots happening this week, the food prices went up even higher. They might eat one time a day, or two times a week. It’s whatever they can afford.”

There are some 300 gangs present in the country, but For Haiti has the respect of their community.

(Photo courtesy of For Haiti with Love).

“They know that we help people, that’s what we do. And we’ve been doing it for so long and in the same place, so if somebody tell them they need to go to For Haiti With Love, they will let them pass to get to the clinic.” DeHart says. 

“When we do something for somebody, (such as) give them a bag of food, they always ask us why are we doing this? We (tell) them that Jesus paid the price for them already. It’s all because of Jesus. A lot of time they ask us, ‘Who is this Jesus?’”

You can come alongside For Haiti through prayer and partnership to help those who have nowhere else to go. 

“We do pray there (are) election(s) someday. But we don’t know when it will (take place). We just keep praying and keep doing our jobs,” DeHart says.

“We ask people for prayers, too. We ask people for help so we can continue to help the people in Haiti.”

Header photo of cross over Cap-Haitien courtesy of For Haiti With Love.

Challenges

Haitians grow desperate as gang violence ravages the country. Travel remains difficult due to the constant fighting, and prices for food and fuel have sharply increased. The inflation rate has reached 30 percent.

Henry’s office promised to alleviate the situation, including social programs for extreme poverty and stocking gas stations.

Eva DeHart of For Haiti with Love says, “They have a very expensive cost of living now because they import so much stuff here. As our prices go up, theirs go up, plus the cargo. And because of the restlessness, they’re keeping the kids home from school, keep them safe in the streets.”

“That is usually just Port-au-Prince. But this time, it’s Cap Haitien as well. It’s pretty much country-wide.”

With violence and protests in the street, DeHart says burn injuries have become more common. In their Cap Hatien burn clinic, they treat people’s wounds and also share the story of Jesus with them. “We pray with them, bandage them, and let them know that no matter what’s going on out there, God is still with them. That’s about all you can do because it is so unpredictable.”

Pray the gang violence in Haiti would dissolve, leaving families and communities to live in peace.

The header photo shows tires burning in a 2019 protest in Haiti. (Photo courtesy of Voice of America, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons) 

Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach says, “The political situation in Haiti has always been volatile. Having gone there for the first time in 1978, and being back and forth ever since, I have seen a lot of changes. I’ve seen good times and bad times. Nothing takes me by surprise anymore.”

History of unrest

In 1986, Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country after 29 years in power. Ever since then, a parade of different leaders has struggled for control over the country and support from the United States.

The unrest continues today as gang violence has become rampant. “At our feminine training center, the ladies can’t travel in town, in Port-au-Prince, to get to the classes,” Yoder says. “But even during COVID-19, we found some ways for ladies to still have class, whether that’s through WhatsApp or some other means of seeing videos.”

CWO ministry

CWO trains women so they can work different jobs and provide for themselves. Yoder says the school is officially recognized by the Haitian government.

The ministry also supports eight churches, scattered across the country. Yoder says the unrest gets especially bad near Port-au-Prince, but some of their churches in the mountains don’t see much of it.

In addition, Yoder says, “We do have a health center in Léogâne where we’re working with expectant mothers and mothers with newborns. We just give them some assistance as they get started with having a newborn in their family.”

Ask God to sustain this ministry during uncertain times in Haiti.

The header photo shows Prime Minister Ariel Henry. (Photo courtesy of Voice of America, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)