The UN World Food Programme is warning that Haiti faces a dangerous combination of hunger and violence as the Caribbean’s hurricane season begins. With 5.7 million people – roughly half the population – already dealing with emergency-level hunger, WFP says the country is one of five worldwide with the worst food crises on record.
Lola Castro, WFP’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said gang violence has pushed more than one million people from their homes and is making it nearly impossible to get food into the capital, Port-au-Prince. The fighting recently forced 14,000 people to flee from Kenscoff, an area where farmers used to sell their crops but now need food aid after their homes were burned down.
Women and girls face dangers in Port-au-Prince, with 6,000 cases of gender-based violence reported this year alone. Castro called the city “one of the most dangerous places in the world” for women and girls, saying they need support to stay safe from violence.
The hurricane season that started June 1 and runs through November could make things much worse. Castro warned that with half of all Haitians already going hungry, a single storm could push millions into disaster. Unlike previous years when WFP had supplies ready for emergencies, “this year, we start the hurricane season with an empty warehouse,” she said.
Haiti’s humanitarian response plan needs just over $908 million but has received only 8% of that funding. WFP alone needs $46.4 million over the next six months to keep feeding people and respond to storms.
“We cannot forget the people of Haiti,” Castro said, asking the international community for urgent help.
