Responding to Haiti’s humanitarian crisis

While the recent outbreak of violence at the end of February made headlines, Haiti has been overwhelmed by gang violence, instability and poverty for years. At Concern Worldwide, we have a team of 70 people who continue to address the escalating needs of communities in Haiti by providing a range of support. This includes food assistance, water and sanitation, and psychosocial support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

One of the questions we’re frequently asked is how we manage to work in Haiti at all. In this article, we look at how our response in Haiti differs from other countries we work in that are affected by conflict, and how support is possible despite the challenges.

Being able to access and reach communities is essential in order to provide humanitarian assistance and emergency support. That isn’t always easy in Haiti, which has seen years of instability and where communities may no longer trust the ability of NGOs to bring about long-term change.

In Haiti, more than in any other context, trust and acceptance is central. We need this to have continuity in our work and ensure the safety of our staff. Concern has been working in Haiti since 1994 and we have been in Cité Soleil, the area in Port-au-Prince most affected by poverty and gang violence, since 2016. As a result, we have built relationships with local NGOs, community groups and leaders and have established the level of trust and acceptance we need to do our jobs. Many activities are led not by Concern staff but by people living in the neighbourhood. For that reason, we can maintain a level of continuity in our operations even in times of crisis.

The safety of our staff, partners and programme participants also depends on our reputation. In a context where 80% of the city is under gang control, a lot of time is devoted to monitoring the context, having continual contact with a range of people ahead of any activity, and triangulating the data. This is to make sure that everyone is aware of our visit and its purpose, and that our team will not be caught in a crossfire.

Haiti is one of the most food-insecure countries in the world. We know that conflict has a devastating effect on people’s ability to feed themselves. In Haiti, we’ve seen recent conflict affect hunger levels in two keys ways.

Agricultural activities have been severely impacted. Fewer crops are being planted and harvested which has led to a reduction in the food supply. Roadblocks set up by gangs also make it difficult to bring food into urban markets, meaning farmers in rural areas struggle to make an income while those living in urban areas face food shortages, further exacerbated by price shocks and inflation.

Persistent violence has massively reduced household mobility, specifically for women. Violence in Haiti is at a record high, and the threat of death, kidnapping, or sexual assault means many people are afraid to leave their homes. This makes it more difficult for people to access local food markets to get the supplies they need. Concern’s food programme helps to address this by linking women with vendors within their neighbourhoods so they are able to buy food when there is limited mobility. This is what is keeping people alive.

A common perception is that it is too difficult to do any work in Haiti. Our experience contradicts this. Many incredible people are working hard every day to provide essential humanitarian support in this region.

Engaging Haiti’s civil society is fundamental to bringing about peace. We cannot overlook the work of community-based organisations and youth groups that continue to be motivated, finding the energy and dedication to work towards positive change in a deteriorating context.

Concern works with these groups to raise awareness on civic engagement, local ownership for community development and decision-making. Our objective is to move towards a greater social accountability approach, supporting communities to speak for themselves and bring about positive change to their own neighbourhoods.

We do not necessarily need to come up with new solutions. But finding real and sustainable solutions to end the persistent cycle of conflict and violence is long overdue and urgent. The one thing that I am sure of is the extraordinary resilience of the Haitian people in the face of adversity. But let’s be clear, resilience is not inevitable and many people are pushed to the brink of desperation.

Haiti deserves and requires the attention and solidarity of the international community. The people of Haiti hold the solutions to a brighter future for their country. Together, we must act now to provide Haitians with the support they need.

This article was first published on bond.org.uk.