In Haiti over the last two days gangs simultaneously attacked dozens of police stations as well as a huge attack on the two main prisons. They took over and let loose around 4,000 prisoners and cut many international internet lines.
The government has declared a state of emergency as well as a nationwide curfew. Gangs also attacked the international airport to prevent the Prime Minister from returning to Haiti from Kenya, so all international flights in and out of Haiti are cancelled. The Dominican Republic’s military has effectively sealed the border so there is no way for anyone to leave Haiti.
Much of the population has been forced to stay in their homes hoping the police can regain control, but today, that is far from certain.
In Deschapelles at the hospital, and at three of our health centers, HAS remains operational. We are doing all that we can to maintain our life saving services. With national roads blocked for months and widespread fighting in our area, we had recently resorted to using small planes landing on small grass airstrips to transport specialist medical staff and supplies to our hospital. With the airport now under siege, these short flights can no longer take off, jeopardizing an important lifeline for us.
In the face of this incredible adversity, at HAS our committed and dedicated team is achieving the impossible. They continue to man their posts to ensure that essential health services remain available to their fellow Haitians. We are blessed with an historic campus – visited in years past by so many exceptional volunteers from around the world and HAS is made even stronger by our global network of alumni, volunteers and donors. Today more than ever we are asking for your help to continue to meet urgent health needs.
We thank you for supporting HAS and for standing with Haiti.
Lespwa fè viv! – Hope keeps us alive!
Sincerely,
Jean Marc de Matteis
CEO
| EXCERPT FROM THE MIAMI HERALD:
“Banks and government offices in Haiti are being pillaged and burned. Police substations are falling under the control of gangs. Prisons have broken open. And neighborhoods across the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, are experiencing continuous gunfire. As a powerful coalition of armed gangs continues its assault in a volatile Haiti…fears are mounting that Haiti has mere days, or maybe even hours, before it completely collapses.” Read more in the Miami Herald here. |