An aid organization in Haiti with ties to Chatham-Kent is having to stop its programs in response to the political unrest following the death of President Jovenel Moise.
Emily Hime, who founded RISE House International and runs a safe haven for women and children just outside of Port Au Prince, said the organization is starting to feel the impact of having to shelter from the ongoing violence and political turmoil in the country.
Haitian President Jovenel Moise was killed on July 7 at his private residence in the hills above Port-au-Prince.
In response to the killing, everyone at the safe haven has been sheltering in place, including staff. Hime said the organization has stopped many of the programs, such as their community outreach program, to prevent people from travelling on the streets.
"The impact of stopping our community outreach could contribute to malnutrition in many of the families we support," said Hime. "We are doing our best to still ensure they have food, however, we cannot send our staff out at the moment to reach some of the families that we support in other cities."
Hime said an increase in gang activity is causing many people to leave their homes and even though families are being displaced, a lack of funding has limited the amount of available space inside the haven.
"We are very careful right now as to who we are opening our gates to," said Hime. "We would like to be able to accept more people into our safe haven during this time but we have had to cut back as to how many people we can intake."
While the shelter in place has made it challenging for the organization on the ground in Haiti, Hime said the pandemic has made things more difficult for her.
"It has impacted my ability to be able to go down and bring supplies and check in on our programs," said Hime. "It has been a difficult two years between COVID-19 and political turmoil - it's been the longest I have ever gone without travelling to Haiti. I am desperate to go, but I also do not want to put my staff or the families at risk."
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