HAITI IN CRISIS
Donate TodayThe people in Haiti are living in the midst of a war zone, as gang violence has escalated to new heights. A State of Emergency has been declared as the country is spinning out of control on every metric, from gangs to kidnappings, migration to murder. To put it in perspective, the devastation of this crisis is believed to be larger than the 2010 earthquake.
We believe that God has positioned us for such as time as this, to serve our brothers and sisters who are in desperate situations. People are starving. The innocent are being murdered. Children are not being educated. The sick are unable to get care.
Mission of Hope has a proven distribution and ministry model that God has used and grown over the last 25 years, which has allowed us to reach people and serve their needs—despite the traumatic events happening in the country.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
- July 2018
- PetroCaribe fuel situation sparks unrest and drastically increases inflation
- July 2021
- Jovenel Moïse, the President of Haiti was assassinated
- Days before his death, Moïse appointed Ariel Henry as his new prime minister
- Henry took over as prime minister
- August 2021
- 7.2-magnitude earthquake hits southern Haiti; it’s the largest natural disaster to hit the country since the 2010 earthquake
- 2021 - 2024
- The country has been without an elected official since the assassination
- Gang violence escalates across the country as gangs have long sought to fill a power vacuum left behind when President Moïse was assassinated, and they have wanted Henry to step down from office
- February 2024
- Henry, the Prime Minister of Haiti, was at CARICOM, a group of Caribbean nations
- Henry committed to having elections by mid-2025, which set off manifestations in Haiti
- Henry flew to Kenya to sign a reciprocal agreement for the deployment of Kenyan troops to Haiti which set off more manifestations
- A prominent gang leader and former police officer who has been very outspoken toward the prime minister. He called all gangs to come together and has vowed to fight until Henry resigns. He asked that all parents keep their children home
- March 2024
- March 1 - Henry signs an agreement with Kenya to deploy 1,000 police officers to combat gang violence
- March 2 - Gangs attacked two main prisons in Port-au-Prince, releasing almost 4,000 inmates
- March 3 - Government then declared a state of emergency and put a curfew in place
- March 4 - Gangs attacked the airport several times—all flights have been canceled
- March 5 - Henry lands in Puerto Rico and has not been able to return to Haiti
- March 10 - Port-au-Prince has been a war zone all last week; it’s estimated gangs control over 80% of the city. People are fleeing their homes. Gangs have taken control in Cabaret. People fled from there and were displaced to Bercy
- Gang leaders have said they will not stop until Henry steps down
- March 12 - Prime Minister Ariel Henry says he will resign upon the formation of a Presidential Counsel, however, the counsel has yet to be formally implemented
- April 2024
- April 16th - Members of the Transitional Counsel have been named and are set to take power when Prime Minister Ariel Henry steps down
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
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Pray. First, and most importantly, join us in praying specifically for the safety of exiled families and for our team as they continue to risk their own lives to serve.
- Give. Serving so many vulnerable people will be costly. If you feel compelled to join this expanding effort, you can do so by clicking the button below.
- Share. It is alarming how little the world knows about this expanding crisis. We need more loud voices sharing the plight of Haitian families and inviting others to serve them. Share this page with your friends.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MISSION OF HOPE TAKING DONATIONS TO HELP HAITI AS VIOLENCE ESCALATES
AUSTIN, Texas - As the violence escalates in Haiti, more Americans are trying to leave that country.
There is concern Haiti could spiral into anarchy after a powerful gang leader called for a march to the National Palace. The fighting between heavily armed gangs and the National police has been tense all week.
Now, the State Department says it has completed its first evacuation of American citizens, and it is now exploring new ways to get stranded Americans back home.
Brad Johnson, founder and CEO of Mission of Hope, a Cedar Park-based nonprofit serving Haiti since 1998, joined FOX 7 Austin's Rebecca Thomas to discuss...