While Haiti has been in chaos since armed groups seized control of much of the country’s capital, the Haitian residents of Sherbrooke are witnessing the misery from near and far.
Nicolas Demers-Labrousse was Head of Mission for Doctors of the World Canada. The man, who lived in Haiti for almost seven years, had to leave the country with his family a few months ago due to the increase in violence.
“I didn’t leave lightly. […] I really enjoyed my time in Haiti, but the last few months and last year have been more complicated, explained Nicolas Demers-Labrousse, who makes sure his life has never been in danger. I saw several colleagues kidnapping their family members. I saw violence in the streets, in the intervention areas, which we had quite often.
Meanwhile, Wilson St-Jean has been in Jérémie, a town almost 300 kilometers from Port-au-Prince, for two and a half months. The Haitian from Sherbrooke is building a mini-farm and a business school there with his organization Le passage – Maison des jeunes en Haïti. The climate in this sector is less tense, he explains. “If we walk around, no one will attack anyone. There is no banditry. All live right.”
However, the one who left Haiti at the age of 6 is a witness to the suffering of his people. “Everything very expensive. Example rice, spaghetti. There are people who can’t even eat a day who come to my house so I can help them,” illustrated Wilson St-Jean.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged last Friday that Canada would provide $100 million to speed up the training of Haitian police officers. This help is welcomed, but more needs to be done, the speakers believe.
“The international community must also listen to civil society actors,” said Nicolas Demers-Labrousse, who, like Wilson St-Jean, remains hopeful that the Haitian people will regain the stability the country needs.