Lately, people have asked me if we plan to pull out of Haiti due to the recent crisis. My answer is a resounding, “NO”. We have never even considered the possibility!
Why? Because Haiti is a country full of bright, talented, creative and passionate young people who see what Haiti could become. They fight the injustices every day, show up for work and give 100% to the task that is before them. I have never worked with a more dedicated group of people and this is what inspires me.
Right now, Haiti is in crisis. Fuel is in short supply and while the prices at the pump, when available, remain reasonable, the black market price has escalated to around USD $12 – $15 per gallon. The Haitian currency has devaluated almost 20% and food prices have risen exponentially. All this, while people can’t get to work and small enterprise has mostly been shut down.
Many businesses and banks have closed, and all of this for what gain? The protests and riots have become an excuse to loot stores and break into offices; to intimidate people and keep students from attending school.
What does this do to a country that was already struggling? People who were barely surviving are now destitute. Children are hungry and clean water has become an issue in some parts of the country as the pumps operate on fuel sources that are not available.
We ask that you please pray for Haiti, for the people and for peace and restoration to return to a country whose landscapes are beautiful and where enormous potential abounds.
Haiti’s future lies in the hands of the next generation and knowing many of these young people gives us hope that Haiti will rise.
In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
Amen.
Joan Conn, Executive Director
