Standing in Solidarity
with Our Team in Saint Rock
November 27, 2024
The challenges facing Haiti remain immense, with the country grappling with heightened gang activity, including the alarming recruitment of children, as well as widespread hunger and near starvation.
Amid this, our two health centers continue to operate, providing essential care to patients, while children have returned to school, bringing hope and stability to their lives. We are deeply committed to offering alternatives to gang influence by creating opportunities—providing jobs, stimulating the local economy, and fostering pathways to a brighter future for the communities we serve.
October 31, 2024
The Saint Rock Haiti Foundation’s two health centers in Saint Rock and Macaco continue their operations serving patients and children have begun returning to school. Our community is feeling the stress of instability and remains a beacon of hope for patients, parents, and children.
Haiti continues to face a severe crisis marked by political instability, violence, and humanitarian needs. Edem Wosornu, Director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, recently visited Haiti with colleagues from UNICEF and the EU Humanitarian Aid Department to explore how to best support Haitians. Her key message was that "peace and stability" are top priorities, reflecting the pressing need for security.
Violence has closed schools and strained healthcare facilities, creating urgent needs that exceed humanitarian capacities alone. Wosornu highlighted that restoring education and healthcare "requires engagement with State institutions and local businesses," underscoring the need for a collaborative approach.
Economic recovery is equally vital, as instability has disrupted local businesses that Haitians depend on for employment and goods. Wosornu emphasized that stimulating local economies will help reduce reliance on foreign aid and foster resilience.
The United Nations remains committed to coordinated support, with Wosornu stressing that sustainable recovery will require cooperation among Haitian, regional, and international partners. By addressing immediate and systemic challenges together, Haiti’s path forward can be strengthened.
(Source: Wosornu, E. “A Window of Opportunity in Haiti”, UN Chronicle, 29 October 2024)
September 30, 2024
Haiti continues to experience crisis conditions due to gang violence and a deteriorating humanitarian situation. Women and children in makeshift camps are particularly vulnerable to violence and disease outbreaks.
The U.S. has pledged an additional $160 million to support security measures, especially helping the Haitian National Police in its fight against gang violence. Pressure is mounting on the US to close export loopholes and stop the flow of illegal weapons into Haiti from US ports which is fueling gang activity. Haitian officials are advocating for transforming the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission into a full United Nations peacekeeping operation to secure the country and facilitate future elections.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP),* 5.4 million people, half of the country’s population, struggle to feed themselves and their families every day, representing one of the highest proportions of acutely food insecure people in any crisis worldwide. Out of these, two million are in the grips of emergency levels of hunger (IPC Phase 4), facing extreme food shortages, acute malnutrition and high disease levels.
The Saint Rock Haiti Foundation continues to operate our two health clinics and is anticipating the start of the school year in October although that start may be delayed again. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our donors and supporters for their unwavering commitment, which enables us to remain a beacon of hope despite the challenging conditions on the ground.
* The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
August 30, 2024
In Haiti, the situation remains challenging, with gang activity continuing to disrupt daily life. Despite some small-scale operations by the Haitian police and international missions, and the recent arrival of new equipment to bolster these efforts, the gang presence remains strong, particularly in areas like Carrefour.
On a positive note, our health centers in Saint Rock and Macaco are fully operational and continue to provide essential services. The government is working to enable schools to reopen in October, though challenges remain. As always, your support is invaluable to our staff and the communities they serve.
July 31, 2024
Recently appointed Prime Minister Gary Conille continues to lead the Presidential Council which is functioning as the governing body in Haiti. A decline in violent crime has been noted. The focus of violence continues to remain in both the Carrefour area where Saint Rock is located, along with the Artibonite region. A second contingency of police officers from Kenya has been deployed.
In Saint Rock, we continue to be fully operational despite the challenges of surrounding gang activity. Students are enjoying a break from school, but it is anticipated that they will return on schedule in early September. We are grateful for your continued faith in and support of our mission.
June 28, 2024
The Haiti Transitional Presidential Council has selected Garry Conille to be the new Prime Minister as part of a strategy to position the country for presidential elections by early 2026. On June 25, Mr. Conille welcomed the the first contingency of police officers from Kenya as they arrived in Haiti to join the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which has been authorized by the United Nations Security Council. This mission has been tasked with assisting the Haitian National Police (PNH) with combating rampant gang violence and restoring stability. It is expected that additional police and soldiers from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica will be deployed for further reinforcement. It is being reported that many Haitians are expressing great relief for this long awaited support.
Through it all, we continue to operate our health centers. Schools are out for summer recess but we fully expect to continue supporting our teachers and students in the fall. It bears repeating that we are extremely grateful for your support that allows us to continue, showing solidarity with our patients, and residents of the communities around Saint Rock, and especially our staff who are ever faithful to the mission of SRHF.
May 23, 2024
The situation in Haiti continues to be challenging. Our two health centers are operating, most of our schools are open, and progress continues on the James Pierre School (ICGS) build. We are ever grateful for your support that allows us to continue and show solidarity with our staff, patients, and residents of the communities around Saint Rock. Our staff, in particular, has mentioned their appreciation for remembering them even though we have been unable to be with them in person.
A Transitional Presidential Council was sworn in on April 25 to exercise functions of the Office of President until a new president is elected. We hope this may bring stability to the country and be a path to peace.
Thank you for your support in these difficult days.
April 3, 2024
Saint Rock Haiti Foundation In-Country Update:
The current situation in Haiti remains unstable, as a transitional presidential council installation remains pending. We are closely monitoring ongoing concerns about the security and safety of all Haitian citizens and growing concerns about access to referral health centers in Port au Prince and access to food and other necessities like fuel.
The communities in Saint Rock remain perilously close to the highest levels of safety instability in the country, but they remain strong. Our two health centers and community health worker program remain open with few exceptions. We are actively exploring innovative solutions to ensure that we have sufficient essential medical supplies to continue providing the highest quality of care deserved by our patients.
The physical and emotional well-being of our staff is our utmost priority. We have taken proactive steps, investing in professional risk and situation management training for all our staff over the past two weeks. We also ensure they have access to secure housing and transportation, extending this support to their families.
Understanding the importance of education, most of our schools remain open to students who are comfortable attending. We are closely examining opportunities to extend mental health services not only to our staff but to students in our schools and all members of the community who feel the immense burden of recurrent mental health trauma.
In these challenging times, we are deeply grateful for the unwavering support of our donors and supporters. Your belief in a better Haiti is the driving force behind our determination to continue our mission. We urge you to maintain your steadfast support, as it is crucial in these times.
Thank you for standing with us.
March 18, 2024
Our two health centers in Saint Rock and Macaco are open and operating. Most of the health centers in the surrounding area have closed, making our work more important than ever. We continue to monitor the situation. As always, the safety of our Haitian staff is still a top priority.
March 10, 2024
The political unrest in Haiti has been impacting the lives of Haitian citizens on a daily basis. At the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation, we are working hard to ensure that both the staff and the community are safe and receiving the life-saving medical services they deserve.
Our medical system and schools are managed by a committed Haitian management team and staff who have shown exceptional courage and dedication. This team is overseen and supported by our Country Director and US CEO, who have over 25 years of combined experience leading this organization. We have a diverse, dedicated, and well-trained board of directors who are accessible, flexible, reliable, and committed to the vision, mission, and strategic priorities of the foundation.
Despite the challenges, we remain strong and committed to moving forward with our mission. Our twenty-two years of proven track record are helping us through this difficult time, and we continue to work tirelessly to find solutions to every problem we encounter. We started a vocational training program for young men in Saint Rock Haiti as an alternative to joining a gang. 77 participants completed the gang diversion program over three months which included mentoring and skill training in ceramics and sandal production.
We now have almost 80,000 registered patients in our healthcare system, and we have seen a 33% increase in patients since the beginning of COVID in 2020. We have also mitigated the return of cholera in our communities through our investment in WASH. As part of our efforts to address the shortage of primary care doctors in the country, we are supporting the training and hiring of the first cohort of advanced practice nurses in Haiti. We have also expanded our services by adding cervical cancer screening for all women and increasing the number of staff proficient in ultrasound technology.
We are about to hire our first medical school graduate from the Flatley Scholarship Program, and we have two new dentists completing their social service training with us. We will be hiring one of them to be our primary dentist in Haiti. Additionally, we have secured new dental chairs and equipment donated by a local Quincy dental office that are on the way to Haiti. We have found innovative ways to ensure that pharmaceutical supplies remain available to our patients. We remain an economic force in the region, employing approximately 100 adults, substantially increasing when we add per-diem contract workers. We are also moving forward with the building of a new primary school, which is on target with the budget and schedule, and will create a sense of hope and accomplishment for the community.
We could not have achieved all of these accomplishments without your support and generosity. We are deeply grateful for everything you do to help us move our mission forward.
