We are sharing excerpts from the most recent dispatch sent from Beyond Borders' Kristie van de Wetering:
Lagonav Island
Programming on Lagonav Island and in the communities in the Southeast (Jacmel office) continues mostly as planned to date, with flexible and adaptable planning. Much of Beyond Borders' (BB) programming is carried out by community activists, community-based structures, and local focal points. This approach also allows for programming to continue even if BB staff need to alter activities in communities carried out directly by BB staff.
Communities in which we are working are not directly affected by the kind of violence that is affecting the metropolitan Port au Prince (PaP) area. However, the impacts on transportation and movement of supplies to program areas are being felt more intensely. There are concerns related to increased food insecurity for larger portions of the population if food supplies from the mainland/PaP are not able to get to more remote areas.
The access to cash is starting to require contingency planning and adjusted activities. To date, Lagonav and Jacmel offices have been able to maintain fuel stocks as well as drinking water. Other provisions are being taken as possible/relevant.
The Emergency Management Team (EMT) continues to meet weekly, sometime several times, in addition to maintaining constant contact via WhatsApp. The PaP Office remains closed and staff members there are working from home as possible (internet and electricity permitting, as well as job-role limitations).
Port au Prince, Other Communities
In addition to having staff living in PaP with their families, we have staff who are living in other parts of the country but have family and friends living in PaP. The PaP-based program team currently working on Lagonav are likely not going to be able to return home later this week as planned due to the security situation.
BB is also working to provide mental health support services to all Haiti-based staff. In one case, a staff member in PaP has temporarily relocated with his family to the BB Guesthouse (which is part of the PaP office) as the level of gang violence in his neighborhood was exploding and they could not stay in their home any longer.
Impact of Gang Violence
The situation is evolving daily. Gangs continue to maintain control over most neighborhoods in the metropolitan zone of Port au Prince; last week saw an increase in violence in the more affluent area of Petion-Ville and the hills above, including home invasions, killings, and kidnappings.
Attacks also continue on various businesses (including banks), schools and government institutions. There have been some cases of Haitian National Police fighting back as well as armed neighborhood brigades that have been created to fight off gang members trying to come into their communities (vigilante justice).
A number of suspected gang members have been killed during the past days/weeks. To note, gangs are present and active in other parts of the country, but the current level of violence is concentrated in the metropolitan PaP area.
There is a significant impact on the supply chains in PaP but also out to the provinces being experienced, although there are some reports of some vehicles getting through gang-controlled areas (some indication that payments are possibly made to gang members to allow safe passage).
The UN has an air-bridge open between Haiti and the DR for transporting people (their staff) and supplies, but it is unclear at this time what is coming in and how, if at all, it is being distributed.
While normally not reliant or consistent, State Electricity provision is becoming even more scarce as some sites in PaP have also been compromised by gangs – an estimated 75% of PaP is without electricity.
Scarce fuel supplies are also affecting telecommunication services in the city, as well as around the country. Access to cash is also becoming an issue as banks and other fund transfer institutions are struggling to maintain cash levels on site as the transporting of cash from central locations in PaP are compromised.
Internal displacement sites are located throughout the metropolitan area (86 sites as of March 23 with more than 88,000 people). There are significant concerns related to sanitation in these sites especially in light of the presence of cholera in the country.
We appreciate the efforts of Beyond Borders to keep us informed, and will post new dispatches here as we receive them. There are plenty of opportunities to stand in solidarity with the suffering Christ in our world, and we do so earnestly, for the Haitian people and all those experiencing violence and war today.
