Vital health and protection for displaced women in Haiti

Haiti | 2024 | CERF

Haiti, Port-au-Prince. Marie is 67 years old. She used to sell goods at the market to get by, but since the gang violence in Haiti has escalated she is living in the Colbert Lochard site, a long way from home.

The site was originally a public school and nearly 2,500 people are sheltering there. “I’d never had high blood pressure before this situation. But the sounds of gunfire echo in my head. You’re forced to flee without knowing where to go,” Marie explains.

Since February, Haiti has suffered a surge in gang-related violence targeting critical infrastructure in Port-au-Prince and other cities. It’s estimated that over 50,000 people have been displaced since the start of the year.

The surge in violence has affected Haiti’s already poor healthcare system, complicating access to care for millions of Haitians. The most vulnerable people are the hardest-hit, including over 85,000 living in displacement sites within the capital.

Less than 30 per cent of hospitals and health facilities in Port-au-Prince and Artibonite are still functioning, while most clinics face a shortage of medicines, equipment and other medical supplies.

With CERF funding, the World Health Organization set up mobile clinics to reach people like Marie.

"The mobile clinic helped me a lot today,” she says. “I was feeling unwell and as almost all the hospitals are closed, a friend advised me to come here. The doctors discovered that my symptoms of insomnia, headaches, and fatigue are due to high blood pressure. I received medication and thank God for this care in these chaotic times," she added.

Escalating gender-based violence

"My house was burnt down, the bandits raped me and my daughter, and I was infected with HIV," explains Patricia, 57, a mother of six, whose life was turned upside down when armed men invaded her neighbourhood. "This experience took everything from me, I was half crazy,” confides Patricia - she thought of taking her own life.

Like Patricia, a growing number of women and girls are victims of the escalating violence, which has led to massive displacement and an alarming increase in violence in the last two years. With funding from CERF and other donors, PAHO/WHO is working with Haitian organization TOYA to develop an assistance programme for displaced women in Port-au-Prince. This includes a helpline to connect women with mental health specialists, as well as individual and group psychosocial support.

“Since I was attacked, I’ve been able to receive counselling,” says Patricia. “And this is helping me start rebuilding my life.” Patricia also received resources to launch a small business selling snacks, and cash support allowed her to move with her daughter outside the capital to a rural area, where she feels safer.

Published November 2024

Based on an original story from WHO/PAHO, published in April 2024

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