The Collège Véréna, which was built with our support, was occupied, looted and partially destroyed by criminal gangs. The schoolchildren and teachers remained physically unharmed, and we are now looking for temporary classrooms and psychological help for them. In this precarious situation, we continue to stand by the children of Haiti and the Kindernothilfe employees who are trying to help the traumatised children on the ground.
Last week, the months-long fighting between two rival gangs in the poor neighbourhood of Delmas 2 in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince reached Collège Véréna. They occupied the school, which was built with our support after the 2010 earthquake, drove away students and teachers - who fortunately remained unharmed - looted, rioted and finally set fire to parts of the building, including the pride of many children, the chemistry room that was set up a few years ago.
The situation around the school, the neighbourhood and in large parts of Port-au-Prince is still very volatile and not under control. The battle between the two rival criminal gangs for supremacy in the Delmas2 neighbourhood has still not been decided.
The extent of the damage to the facades and classrooms of the college caused by the senseless violence and arson and the need for renovation cannot yet be quantified, according to Kindernothilfe. A building expert will have to assess the damage, the condition and the necessary repair work. However, until the security situation in Delmas 2 is more stable, no reputable construction company will come to the neighbourhood to carry out the necessary assessment - let alone carry out the repairs.
Kindernothilfe Haiti has therefore decided to take two immediate steps: Suitable and, above all, safe premises are to be found as quickly as possible so that school lessons can be maintained on a transitional basis. It also wants to provide psychosocial support services for the pupils who experienced the armed attack by the gangs.
As soon as the situation has stabilised thanks to the planned international police operation (see below), the damage is to be recorded and the necessary repair work decided.
REWE Group has pledged its support to the children of Collège Véréna. We will keep you informed as soon as there is more information.
How you can help
In addition to the Collège Véréna, we support two other Kindernothilfe projects in Haiti: a scholarship programme for former pupils and the "Protective School" project. If you would like to know why we donate to Haiti and how it all began, you can find out in our review of 10 years of aid for Haiti.
And if you would like to support the employee donation project, please use this form.
The situation in Haiti
The good news first: an international police operation with the support of the United Nations (UN) is intended to stabilise Haiti, which has been torn apart by gang violence for more than a year and a half. The UN Security Council authorised the deployment of police officers led by Kenya to the Caribbean state for twelve months. The mission, which is due to start by 1 January 2024 at the latest, aims to significantly improve the security situation in Haiti and protect the population from the violent gangs.
The Caribbean country has been suffering for years from fighting between competing gangs that control a large part of the capital Port-au-Prince and terrorise, plunder, kidnap and rape the population in what is essentially a lawless area. The violence exacerbates the already precarious supply situation. According to the United Nations, almost half of Haiti's eleven million people are suffering from acute hunger and many have left the capital or have been displaced by the gangs.
According to the United Nations-affiliated International Organisation for Migration (IOM), there are almost 200,000 displaced people across the country. In addition, there are around 100,000 Haitians who have been deported from neighbouring countries this year. Half of the displaced people are living in makeshift accommodation in Port-au-Prince, where hygiene conditions are extremely poor. They often meet people there who have been living in makeshift shelters since the earthquake in 2010.
Haiti is located between North and South America on the island of Hispaniola. The Dominican Republic is located on the eastern half of the island. Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent. It has been suffering from corruption, political instability, violence, high inflation and hunger for years. The war against Ukraine and the resulting explosion in wheat prices has further exacerbated the situation for Haitians.
The country's police force is considered to be overwhelmed. According to UN figures, more than 2,400 people were killed and more than 950 kidnapped in Haiti between January and mid-August. The assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021 dramatically worsened the security situation. The Caribbean country is also regularly hit by natural disasters. Since the devastating earthquake in 2010 with more than 220,000 deaths, Haiti has been on a drip feed of development aid.
(Source: dpa, tagesschau.de)
Dangerous journey to school
Around a year ago, Pierre Augustin from Kindernothilfe Haiti described in an interview with one how chaotic and frightening the situation was, especially for the children and young people, and how dangerous their journey to school was. Parents were also exposed to enormous stress in the daily struggle for money and food. His report is still very relevant today, some ten months later.
