Emergency Relief:
Haiti Protests 2019
Two weeks ago, Haiti started a series of protests that brought the entire country to a standstill. The protests started as peaceful marches and on Thursday, February 7, tens of thousands of people took to the streets.
All of our Haiti partners have confirmed that they are feeling the effects within their communities of the rioting and unrest, as they have now gone over 10 days without access to supplies, food and water. Now that the situation is beginning to quiet down, there is an urgent financial need to assist in purchasing food, medication, and water for those in need in the community so that it can be quickly distributed.
Haitians are facing many difficulties:
- Food is difficult to purchase (if you actually have money) as stores have been closed and merchants have stayed home, afraid to go to open markets to sell their goods.
- Clean water has been difficult to find, as water companies have been unable to transport their product.
- Fuel has been unavailable at most gas stations (no more Venezuelan fuel coming into the country - current suppliers demand payment from a government that is bankrupt) and is selling for close to $10/gallon on the black market.
- Schools have been closed since this started, national exams will not be delayed, so students are missing out on critical preparation time. Students from wealthy families will likely have tutors coming to their homes to catch them up, but the poor families don't have the means to hire private tutors. This will mean repeating a school year for many students who will not be able to pass their exams.
- Transportation came to a standstill, as most major roads (and many smaller ones) became impassable. What happens if someone has a medical emergency, but can't get to the hospital?
- Medical care is spotty, as staff often cannot get to work and supplies run out and cannot be replenished.
The country has been at a complete economical standstill, and for the average Haitian that lives on less than $2 a day (day-by-day living) they have no savings to be able to fall back on when the markets are closed, and they are unable to work at all, or purchase necessities.
Drastic inflation is causing people to starve. The exchange rate of Haitian Gourdes to US Dollars has increase dramatically continues to climb quickly. This has increased the cost of food and many other neccesities, out of the range of what some people can afford.
A multi-billion dollar loan from PetroCaribe was given to Haiti nearly a decade ago and it appears to have been squandered or stolen. Now that the truth is out, people want to see some accountability. Where is the money? Who took/wasted it? Can some punishment be given to them?
Meanwhile the government can't afford to pay for the fuel the country needs to keep going. Fuel in Haiti is essential for not only transportation, but also for electricity, telecommunications, and agriculture. Haiti has subsidized fuel for the past 15 years, so the government has been buying each tanker, then selling it at a loss. But they don't have money to keep doing it.
So, please pray for Haiti and for a peaceful resolution. Pray for those who are suffering as a result of the violence and economical shutdown.