Damaged crops, lack of supplies, drown Haiti in misery

Haiti (MNN) — Haiti can’t seem to get a break. Floods are drowning crops in the north and droughts are parching them in the south. It’s triggered a chain reaction of misery.

According to the World Food Program (WFP), more than five million Haitians are facing food insecurity, and 1.5 million are facing severe food insecurity, which is twice the amount from last autumn.

Through a translator, Mirene Raymond, a 69-year-old rice farmer, told ThinkProgress, “This is the first time in my life that I’ve seen things this bad. We’ve had droughts before, but never like this.”

Triggered by the food shortage, prices have started spiking, starving citizens’ financial budgets.

“With the monetary exchanges being the way they are, everything is just too expensive to buy,” says For Haiti with Love’s Eva DeHart. “So, you’ve got a level of hunger in the country that we haven’t seen for a while and for years, actually.”

Haitian-born Roseline informed For Haiti this is the worst she’d seen the toll wrought by poverty in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation.

Less people have money to see doctors, or even buy mandatory medications. People are getting sicker. “All in all, things are mounting up and instead of any area getting better, it seems like each area is getting a little bit worse, which just starts compounding the misery.”

Groups have started rioting to show the interim government their frustration.

“They have always been a culture that ‘hits the streets’ when they’re upset about something. It’s their only way to vent their frustrations, to let the government know that they’re not happy with things that are going on,” DeHart says.

“Right now, they don’t have a real government, and so there’s nobody to listen and the frustration levels get much higher.”

The current government, including President Jocelerme Privert — who was inaugurated a few months ago — was not elected by the people, but quickly shuffled in for a temporary fix by the Haitian Parliament.

Haitians have accused the government of corruption, and of keeping their eyes focused on money instead of the well-being of the nation.

“People know they’re temporary; it’s a temporary government, and so they’re going to try to make as much money as they can while they have the opportunity.”

Government restrictions are making supply imports increasingly difficult for organizations, ministries, and missionaries. Businesses, markets, and hospitals have little to no supplies. Hospitals are referring patients to For Haiti’s clinic because of the absence of supplies, money, and due to the doctor strike.

For Haiti’s April Newsletter reported the clinic has seen more burn and seizure patients in this year than any other before. The staff is trying to keep up, but supplies are being stretched thin.

While For Haiti desperately needs your prayers and supplies, they also need money.

“People would rather help in other ways, I know,” DeHart says. “But, we’ve worked for the last 40 years to get avenues where we can stretch the money about as far as it can be stretched. And so, if I have the contribution dollars, I can turn it into more help than would be available if they sent us product.”

Haiti is trying to hold itself together, but it needs your prayer and support. For Haiti With Love lets all of their patients know they’re loved by God so much that He is providing medicinal and food supplies. Will you let Him provide through you?

Help Haiti prosper through For Haiti’s clinic and food pantry!