By Caribbean News Global contributor
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – In Haiti, despite the challenges, UN partners are continuing to provide daily emergency assistance to people impacted by the violence in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
On Saturday alone, the World Food Programme was able to provide more than 28,000 meals to people who have been forced to flee their homes due to the violence.
Despite the widespread insecurity, WFP reports that it has delivered food assistance to some 480,000 men, women and children across the country since the beginning of March.
These efforts are possible thanks to our partners on the ground – including Haitian non-governmental organizations, local businesses and Haitian farmers’ organizations.
“In Port-au-Prince, the agency has distributed more than 358,000 hot meals to more than 69,000 people in 48 displacement sites in the past month. And also over the past month, our humanitarian partners have delivered more than 2.3 million litres of water to nearly 29 displacement sites, which has benefited some 60,000 displaced people. Health partners have also delivered medicine and provided psychosocial support to traumatized people, including children,” the spokesperson for secretary-general Antonio Guterres said Monday.
“As we have mentioned, Haiti’s health sector has been severely affected by the violence over the past month, with at least half of the health facilities in the capital either closed or functioning below their normal capacity. The ongoing insecurity in Haiti has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation. Across the country, more than 360,000 people are currently displaced – some 160,000 of whom are in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. More than 1,000 schools have been closed across the country.”
Meanwhile, the Haiti Humanitarian needs and response plan continues to be severely underfunded. Only $45 million of the $674 million required have been received – that’s less than 7 percent.
Related: Lawlessness and fear
