It doesn’t rain on wet, it rains on huge puddles. Everything that happens in Haiti is hardly news. Be it a new earthquake, torrential rains causing floods, landslides, loss of life, crops and animals. If the situation seems marginal, you can go further. The consequences are catastrophic. And yet the population remains caught by a glimmer of hope.
The recent rainy season’s flooding, which affected nearly 40,000 homes according to the Haitian Civil Protection Agency, and the recent June 6 earthquake are making it difficult for humanitarian aid to reach those who need it and are in need, a situation of extreme vulnerability . In addition, the hurricane season that started just a few weeks ago could lead to more severe weather events in the coming months. Therefore, replenishing humanitarian aid supplies in a Haiti that can no longer take it is vital.
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Jean Claucita lives in the commune of Côteaux in the southern department of the country, one of the most food insecure communes. She is pregnant and expecting her second child. He is worried about the next day. “Things are going very badly for us, sometimes we only eat bananas and sweet potatoes [un tubérculo]. Sometimes when my son comes home from school he can’t find anything to eat and has to go to the neighbor’s house.”
Just a month ago, it was the drought that killed subsistence crops. Now the rain is washing away every green shoot in a country on the edge where 4.9 million people, almost half the population, are starving. A number that has only risen — it has tripled since 2016 — and is bringing Haitians to the brink of collapse.
The hint of a smile on Marie Lucia’s face betrays her concern. Five people live in her home, including an 18-month-old baby and two children aged 6 and 10 who need to be fed. Growing your own food is also not an option, he explains. “Because of the drought we have nothing, we live by the grace of God. I couldn’t buy groceries and I was constantly in debt to the traders.” I used to sell products at the market. Traveling and moving now means putting yourself at risk of encountering members of gangs terrorizing the populace along the way, and therefore possibly not being able to return home. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 165,000 people have fled their homes due to the violence. Terrorism, kidnappings, executions and violence against women and girls are the order of the day.
The abyss for one of the poorest countries in the world is drawing ever closer. Millions of people are surviving thanks to humanitarian aid and their resilience. This is the case of Jean Claudita and Marie Lucia, for whom financial support was essential to alleviate the situation. It enabled them to pay off debts to merchants, buy groceries, and try to get ahead. “With the first money I got, I bought a goat,” says Marie. “The lack of food caused by the drought caused the goat to die, but we ate its meat. With the second money I got I bought a pig and fodder for the house. Unfortunately the pig died so I lost everything. I have no luck with animals. I used the rest to buy groceries and pay for my children’s school.”
Because for Marie it is important to maintain hope for a future for herself, for her children, for her family. Same as Jean. “Ever since I got pregnant, I’ve been buying good food so my baby can grow well. I also prepare for the birth of the baby and buy things for the birth,” she explains. Life goes on and makes its way despite the drought, despite the hurricanes, despite the earthquakes, despite the violence. The Haitian people are resisting, resilient and making a small contribution every day to get out of the crisis. Life stubbornly goes on, despite everything.
Florentine David She is the coordinator of humanitarian aid projects in Haiti for the Alliance for Solidarity-ActionAid.
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