And the poor get poorer
On February 25, hundreds of Haitian prisoners escaped from the Croix-des-Bouquets Civil Prison in northeast Port-au-Prince Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti. The escape resulted in 25 deaths. After six weeks, Haitian police have recaptured only a handful of the escapees.
One PieH student attends school in Croix-Des- Bouquets, near the prison. Out of fear for her daughter’s safety, Eliana, Manaika’s mom, took Manaika out of school for a while. Manaika is back in school and registered for another session. However, continued violence and kidnappings in Croix-Des- Bouquets and surrounding areas have caused Eliana to look for another school for Manaika, one closer to her home.
Two months later (April 11, 2021), five Catholic priests and two nuns were kidnapped in Croix-des-Bouquets. Kidnappings in Haiti have increased 200% in the last year, most connected to gangs, and no one is immune. The number of gangs in Haiti has risen, with over a hundred gangs identified. They have gained tremendous power over the people and the government. The government has not been able or willing to help. It depends on who you ask.
“The kidnappers are asking for large sums of money. And most of the cases, if not all, people are being freed because they pay, not because the police officers are going in and rescuing people, even though they know where some of these, quote, unquote, ‘kidnapping lairs’ are located.” [Jacqueline Charles of The Miami Herald in an interview with PBS]*
The economic implications are enormous. Many PieH students’ parents work as vendors in the streets, selling whatever they can find to sell. They sit in the hot sun for hours each day, hoping to make eighty-three Haitian gourdes, which is about one U.S. dollar.
With violence, kidnapping, and protests in the streets, they cannot safely work. Our program assistant found himself fleeing from an attack on the road, dropping and destroying his phone as he ran to safety.
Most schools are staying open but using caution. Haitians don’t have libraries; most families do not have consistent electricity if any. Even if they do, most schools do not have the technology or training to offer virtual classrooms.
Most Haitian students cannot afford classroom books when school is not in session. They attempt to retain what they hear in the overcrowded classroom when class is in session. PeiH students are fortunate that they have school books so that they can study at home.
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*ahttps://www.npr.org/2021/04/12/986537201/kidnappings-in-haiti-surge-as-country-plunges-deeper-into-political-turmoil