An Important Update from Haiti

By Guesly Dessieux, PLH Founder & Executive Director

We want to thank you for your continued support of Project Living Hope and for your faithful prayers. Now more than ever, we truly need them.

Over the past few weeks, gang activity has intensified in nearby communities. As violence escalated, many families were forced to flee their homes, often leaving behind everything they owned. In response, we have been actively involved in relief efforts through our partner churches to support hundreds of displaced people who have found temporary safety. Out of concern for everyone’s well-being, we made the difficult decision to suspend all programs on our campus.

Gangs have been actively confronting resistance groups and attempting to expand their control. Just a few days ago, a family attempted to bury their mother when armed gang members arrived, firing shots into the air and stopping the burial. They believed the gathering was connected to resistance fighters. Once they were convinced it was a funeral, they left. This traumatic incident sparked further fear, leading many families to flee yet again, while longtime residents in the area have also begun evacuating.

We want to thank those of you who supported our Giving Tuesday campaign to bring hope and joy through a community event this Christmas. With many families fleeing these past couple of days, our Haitian leadership will assess the situation and determine if we can proceed with a large event as planned or partner with the local churches to hold smaller events or simply provide food relief. We assure you that your gift will bring encouragement, joy, and full bellies to families who desperately need it. Thank you for your understanding as the situation changes day to day.

We are grateful that our property has remained untouched. Due to its isolated location, it does not serve as a strategic area for gang takeover, which has helped protect it. Several staff members continue to return to the campus to care for and protect the campus. While we understand their commitment, we have emphasized that human life is far more important than property. Buildings can be rebuilt; a lost life cannot be replaced. We encourage them to prioritize their own safety and their family’s safety. 

We ask for your prayers that this ongoing violence in Haiti will cease. We trust fully in God’s plan for our organization and will continue to act in service by supporting displaced families. 

Project Living Hope has been exploring options to expand its work. Watch your mailbox for more on that next week. We continue to pray that God will guide us as an organization and protect. Each life is precious to him.

Psalm 32:7: "You are my hiding place; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance" 

Crisis Update: Displaced Families Find Refuge

Families continue to flee as the gang advances north. The national police, locals, and mountain people engage in fighting with the gang every day, but the gang is gaining control of more neighborhoods. There are now 130 people taking refuge in a church in our community and another 120 that have been taken in by families in the community.

We are so grateful for the support that we have received since our last update. Over $3,000 has come in to provide food relief to these families that have fled their homes. We have purchased food and are providing that to the church and families who are caring for these displaced families. Thank you for standing with us in prayer! 

Haiti, with pressure from the international community, has begun the election process. The goal is to place a president in power in February of next year. For over a year, a nine-person presidential committee has been in charge of the country. We pray that a new leader can be put in place to guide the country to peace and a stronger future. 

Pray for Haiti: Families Fleeing Violence

Last week, we shared about an outside gang taking control of a town just 15 minutes from the PLH campus. In the early hours of Friday morning, the gang went to seize guns from the mountain people that you may remember have a long history of fighting with the town. The mountain people fought back, and fighting has continued in the town since.

With the shooting, hundreds of people began fleeing the town, with more than 120 seeking refuge in our community. These families flee with nothing and have nowhere to go. Churches have opened their doors as temporary shelters, but they have little else to offer.

PLH has begun purchasing emergency relief food supplies as we assess how to best support those who have been displaced. Please continue to pray for protection, provision, and a miraculous end to the violence.

Hurricane Melissa also rained down on Haiti, Cuba, and Jamaica this week. Our area experienced heavy rain and strong winds. There was some minor damage to the PLH fence and grounds, but no major damages. Other parts of Haiti suffered major flooding with at least 25 people killed and 18 others missing, as well as many homes destroyed. We pray for these families who have lost so much.

Hope Amid Hardship: Standing Strong for Haiti’s Youth

By Laura Polynice, PLH Executive Assistant

Play, Learn, Grow! 

Summer is here! As kids in the states are running between sports camps, VBS, and play dates, PLH is providing kids in Haiti with similar opportunities to play, learn, and grow. 

Every day, youth gather on the campus to participate in soccer, basketball, English, or artisan crafts. Each of these programs provide youth with purpose, belonging, and life skills. With few opportunities in Haiti, PLH is a unique place for kids to be kids in a safe and uplifting environment. PLH now employs 30 coaches and teachers who are pouring into these youth every week. 

Check out the new paint job on the basketball court! 

PLH vs. Camp Marie! 

This summer, the PLH soccer and basketball teams are competing in weekend matches, testing their skills against one another. PLH also recently hosted a match between the local community team and the PLH staff and coaches. Over 300 people came to the campus to watch the game. Matches like these are a way for PLH to encourage community in a positive environment.

Volleyball Coming Soon! 

In May, PLH received a $25,000 matching grant from the Huddart Family Foundation to construct a volleyball court and launch a PLH volleyball program! The recent fundraising dinner in Eugene raised $18,000 towards the $25,000 needed to unlock the full match. In October, we will be holding a volleyball tournament fundraiser to raise the remaining funds needed. Click below to play in this tournament fundraiser or to give directly to bringing volleyball to youth in Haiti.

An Update on the Haiti Situation

The situation in Haiti remains much the same. Gangs continue to take over more neighborhoods, people continue to live in fear, and hunger continues to claim more lives. Many hospitals and clinics have closed, with others operating with limited staff and resources, making medical care difficult to find. With great effort and money paid to the gangs that control the highways, some resources and supplies are transported around the country. Populations struggle to continue life as best they can. The community where the PLH campus is located remains quiet and free from gang activity, but it is cut off from the rest of the country by gang-controlled highways.

Praise God with Us

With all these challenges, we continue to thank God for the location where He has placed Project Living Hope. The PLH campus is a safe haven for youth. When they step on the campus, they can leave the troubles of the country and simply play, dream, and grow as youth should. We praise God for the Haitian leaders He brought to PLH who are keeping programs running and pouring into these youth every day. We thank God for all of you who are supporting this work and impacting lives in Haiti. 

Haiti Crisis Update: Lives Touched in the Midst of Suffering

By Laura Polynice

Haiti fades in and out of the US news, but the situation continues to be dire for the people of Haiti. 

While an interim government was instituted in May and 400 Kenyan officers have arrived in Haiti, there has been no improvement in the security situation. In many areas, the gang activity has gotten worse. Some communities are standing firm and defending their towns from the gangs’ attacks, while other areas have been overrun by the gangs and the population has been forced to flee. On October 3, a gang attack in the community of Pont-Sonde, 45 minutes from PLH’s campus, left 115 men, women, and children dead.

(Source: NPR - Oct 10, 2024)

The UN reports, “Gang violence and political instability have resulted in a record 702,973 people internally displaced (IDPs) [forced to flee their homes and unable to return], making Haiti the country with the largest number of displacements globally due to crime-related violence.” With a population of just 11.7 million, this is a significant percentage of the population.

(Source: UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) - Oct 3, 2024. For more information, data, and charts, check out the interactive report.) 

The gangs’ stronghold on the country continues to deepen the hunger crisis in Haiti. Nearly half of the population, 5.4 million people, are experiencing "crisis levels of hunger or worse."

(Source: Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) - Sept 20, 2024)

Children are also missing out on an education as schools are frequently forced to close. Nearly 900 schools remain permanently closed, affecting almost 200,000 children.
(Source: UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) - Oct 3, 2024)

While it is hard to see how things will improve and what we can do to help stop so much suffering, Project Living Hope remains firm in its mission of empowering Haitians to build a stronger Haiti. 

We have seen tremendous growth in the PLH athletics programs, virtual training workshops, and food relief efforts. Programs like these are key in keeping youth away from the influence of gangs and equipping individuals to build a better future for themselves and their family. Every person touched by these programs is a life changed and a positive step for Haiti.