Haiti (MNN) — The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Haiti has now passed the one million mark – a threefold increase from the previous year. Over half of those displaced are children.
Most of the people fleeing gang violence are escaping the capital city, Port-au-Prince, for more rural areas.
(Photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach)
Greg Yoder, President of Christian World Outreach (CWO), says some of their own local staff in Haiti have been affected.
“The staff there, some of them, the gangs have come in and taken over their neighborhoods,” Yoder explains. “So they’ve pretty much just taken off without any of their belongings, and they’ve had to find another place to live. So that’s what’s been causing this displacement from people to go outside of Port-au-Prince.”
CWO’s ministry is supporting Haitians with relief funds and Gospel encouragement.
Yoder says, “They’re seeing a lot more people in areas that were not very heavily populated. One place where our Feminine Training Center is [located] is a pretty small village, and they’ve seen a huge influx [of IDPs].”
Please continue to pray over this crisis in Haiti.
Specifically, Yoder asks, “Pray that the resources [are] there to continue to help people, and that they (Christians) will be able to continue to share the Gospel even during these real difficult times.
“It sounds odd to call this an opportunity, but with these people being displaced, it’s an opportunity to share the Gospel with people and to help them in physical ways.”
Header photo of child in Haiti. (Photo courtesy of Topsphere Media/Unsplash)
