Issues In Haiti

By- Nora Morrow

World hunger is one of the biggest problems in the world, specifically Haiti. This also affects medical workings in Haiti.  Due to people going hungry, they are starting to have health issues and there are not enough doctors and nurses to help that many people.  According to https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/03/americas/hunger-in-haiti-intl-latam, American missionaries are delivering food to people who haven't eaten in a week, yet it's still not enough.  There is also no food in stores, and no supply chain.  A chief medical officer, Dr Ralph Ternier, came to visit Haiti and he said he saw some of the worst cases of child hunger.  “This is the worst humanitarian crisis in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake. I don’t think that’s sunk in,”  Jean-Martin Bauer, the World Food Programme’s country director for Haiti, told CNN last week.  Nearly 5 million people are struggling with food insecurity in Haiti.  Food insecurity is when people do not have enough to eat and don't know where their next meal is coming from. 

Hospitals in Haiti have been vandalized.  Roads in and out of the city have been blocked by local gangs.  And warehouses and containers storing food and essential supplies across the city have been broken into in recent weeks as the social fabric frays.  it is nearly impossible for someone like him to enter the area, and that rampant gang attacks and kidnapping means many parents cannot find medical care for their kids.  More privileged people in Haiti are trying their best to donate to kids in Haiti.   Insecurity is hampering people from doing very simple things right now like taking their children to school, or going to the supermarket or work which are “extremely risky” he said.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Latin America and the Caribbean region and among the poorest in the world. Hunger is tightening its grip as insecurity, violence and deepening economic woes combine with climate-related shocks and other disasters. 

Poor performance of agriculture and heavy dependence on imports also drive food insecurity. This makes the country vulnerable to inflation and price volatility in international markets. Consumer prices for major food products are 30 to 77 percent higher than in the Latin America and Caribbean region. 

These issues have been exacerbated by a series of disasters over the past two decades, including storms, flooding, landslides, drought and earthquakes. On the 2021 Climate Risk Index, Haiti is third among the countries most affected by extreme weather events from 2000 to 2019.

I asked a fellow classmate, Emma Jorgensen, what country she thinks has the most food insecurity and why.  She responded with: “Well I would think of a country like China because of population”.  As she is not wrong, I told her 4.35 million people are starving in Haiti.  She then said "Are there people helping this food insecure country?”  I told her that there are around 214 organizations helping Haiti with food insecurity.  

This crisis in Haiti has resulted from several internal events in recent years that have affected political, economic and social stability.  I asked another classmate, Brynn Smith, what are the consequences of living on an island, like Haiti.  She said “Smaller community, and less resources,”-.  She was spot on.  This is exactly what Haiti has trouble with and mostly less resources.

Recent attacks and violence by armed groups have driven Haiti into a dramatic security crisis with civilians under fire far beyond just the capital Port-au-Prince, where armed groups control much of the city. More than 360,000 people have been displaced across the country since the start of 2024, affected by violence, and now struggle to access enough food.
 

To wrap up this article, I must say to always think of others and do what you can.