SOS Children's Villages International
SOS Children's Villages International
03/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/29/2024 05:30
‘Children in Haiti are suffering mentally and physically’
EMERGENCIES - 26 March 2024
'Children in Haiti are suffering mentally and physically'
The escalating gang-related violence in Haiti has forced more than 360,000 families to flee their homes to seek safety and protect their children.
Many families have chosen to leave the capital, Port-au-Prince. Those who have no other places to go live in schools and government buildings that have been turned into camps.
Those fleeing abandon their means of livelihood, putting them and their families in even more precarious circumstances. It is reported that nearly half the population - some 5 million people - face acute food insecurity in Haiti.
At the SOS Children's Village in Port-au-Prince, staff and caregivers do their best to maintain a sense of normalcy for the 66 children, with activities and remote learning taking place as usual.
"All children under our care are safe," says Ms. Faimy Loiseau, National Director of SOS Children's Villages Haiti. "They don't go out as schools are still not open. We continue to monitor the situation.
"The children and staff in our family-like care program have enough supplies for a month and there are also emergency supplies in case things get worse. They continue to go to school remotely," adds Ms. Loiseau.
Support for families
SOS Children's Villages helps support families in the community through the crisis.
"Through our family strengthening program, we are working on ways to support families the best that we can as their situation has worsened due to the security difficulties," says Ms. Loiseau.
Children from local communities who attend the SOS Children's Villages school also participate in remote learning. For families in the city without internet access or smartphones, teachers provide printed homework for parents to collect outside the school.
Gangs recruit children
The recruitment of children into gangs is a "critical concern," according to a new UN report. Children are used as lookouts and those who want to leave the gangs fear retaliation to themselves and their families. Some children who tried to leave have been killed.
"We hope and pray that the situation will get better soon because too many children are suffering mentally and physically," says Ms. Loiseau.
"It is important to remember that the children of today will be the adults of tomorrow, so it has to be our priority to lessen the level of trauma that will have a direct impact on Haiti's future."
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EMERGENCIES
'Children in Haiti are suffering mentally and physically'
March 29 2024 - The escalating gang-related violence in Haiti has forced more than 360,000 families to flee their homes to seek safety and protect their children. Many families have chosen to leave the capital, Port-au-Prince. Those who have no other places to go live in schools and government buildings that have been turned into camps.
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"The children knew: When we say, 'It's time to go!', it's time to go."
March 25 2024 - 68 children were evacuated from the SOS Children's Village in Rafah, southern Gaza. In this interview, Samy Ajjour, programme director of the village, speaks about the evacuation and how the children are doing since their arrival to the West Bank.
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March 20 2024 - In an era where organizations are moving from digital integration to holistic digital transformation at all levels, we are glad to share with you the Digital Development Guidebook. This guidebook is the result of a collaboration effort of SOS Children's Villages and other INGOs with the leadership of CRS and the support of NetHope.
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Children without parental care evacuated from Rafah, Gaza
March 12 2024 - A total of 68 children from the SOS Children's Village Rafah in Gaza as well as 11 employees of the SOS Children's Villages and their families have been evacuated. We have worked through diplomatic channels with all relevant authorities to bring the children and adults to Bethlehem in the West Bank, where they arrived safely on 11 March.
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