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.