Meet Fara Valentin

Through our Young Dreams Sponsorship Program, we recently had the opportunity to meet Fara Valentin, a 37-year-old teacher in Haiti. She is a mother of four, with her partner working as a taxi moto driver.

For nearly nine years, Fara has dedicated herself to educating young Haitian children, helping them unlock their full potential. She shared, “What makes me proud of my profession is seeing the transformation in a student’s competencies from the beginning to the end of the school year. It fills me with hope to think that one day these students will grow up to be valuable contributors to our country.”

However, Fara is often concerned about her students and their education, as many arrive at school without essential resources. Most students come to class without books, and many are sent to school on an empty stomach, unable to afford food or lunch money.

Around the world, countless children are eager to learn but face significant barriers due to a lack of resources. Haiti is no exception. The challenges these students face highlight the urgent need for support and resources to ensure they receive the education they deserve.

Back to School Season in Haiti

As August unfolds, back-to-school buzz begins to fill the air. Children are excited about their back-to-school shopping, neighborhoods start getting fuller, parents are finalizing schedules, and the promise of new beginnings fills the atmosphere with a sense of anticipation.

Although back-to-school time is an exciting period for many, some children face significant hurdles. In Haiti, the education journey is fraught with challenges such as limited resources, economic constraints, and infrastructural issues that hinder students from fully engaging in the excitement of a new school year. Currently, over 200,000 Haitian students remain out of school, and 900 schools have temporarily closed due to armed gang violence that erupted from prison breakouts last February. With gangs controlling over 80 percent of the Haitian capital, the situation is dire, as recruitment of children and escalating violence continue to impact the educational landscape.

As one might imagine, back-to-school in Haiti carries a different meaning. At Dare Humanity, we strive to enhance children’s opportunities to attend school through our Young Dreams Sponsorship program. We believe that education should be a universal right, available to every child regardless of their circumstances, environment, ethnicity, or economic status. By sponsoring children, we create a stable educational environment that empowers them to pursue a brighter future.

Source: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148306

Food Scarcity in Haiti Since the Assasination of President Jovenel Moïse

 Nearly three years ago, on July 7th, 2021, Haiti's forty-third president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated, exacerbating an already precarious food security situation in the country. Following his death, political instability and gang violence have increased leaving almost five million Haitians to go hungry and need food assistance (according to recent UN figures). Jean-Martin Bauer, the Country Director in Haiti for the World Food Program, states that “Haitians are on the edge - every other person is now hungry. Rising hunger is fuelling the security crisis that is shattering the country. We need urgent action now - waiting to respond at scale is not an option”. 

Since the death of Moïse, gangs have started to rise in power, and now control up to 90 percent of the nation’s capital, using hunger as a weapon in order to coerce their local population. This violent increase has led to rising prices, low agricultural production, political turmoil, civil unrest, and severe poverty. Various gangs have disrupted food supplies, erected roadblocks, and occasionally paralyzed the economy through threats and blockades, aiming to assert their control. Due to this surge in gang violence, and their new influence, over 360,000 civilians have been displaced across the country within this year alone. 

Now, years after the assassination of  President Jovenel Moïse, the security situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate, with gangs controlling a massive percentage of the capital. Record levels of kidnapping, violence, and hunger have plunged the nation into a deep crisis, forcing many citizens to rely on food aid and humanitarian assistance for survival. 

At Dare Humanity we aim to tackle food insecurity with our Men Kontre Program, providing food supplies to families in the nation’s Capital twice a month. In order to effectively combat food scarcity, it is important to get the Men Kontre Program back up and running as soon as possible. We need your assistance to continue aiding and nourishing the vulnerable population of Port au Prince which will not only provide food security for affected families, but will help contribute to long-term prosperity in Haitian communities. Help us feed Haiti! Donate now!

Sources:

https://unsdg.un.org/latest/stories/explainer-5-things-know-about-food-security-haiti-times-crisis

https://www.wfp.org/news/new-ipc-data-confirms-record-levels-hunger-haiti

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/two-years-after-moise-assassination-impact-gang-violence-haiti#:~:text=Overview,kidnappings%20are%20at%20record%20levels.