For most Haitians, everyday life has become dominated by chaos, terror and uncertainty.
Nixon Boumba, AJWS’s Haiti Consultant, has worked with AJWS for nearly a decade and been a human rights activist in Haiti nearly all his adult life. Mr. Boumba used to start his day by taking a morning jog in the historic Pacot neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, where houses designed in Haiti’s distinctive “gingerbread” style, often surrounded by beautiful flowers, make for pleasant start to the day. But a steep increase in murders and kidnappings has left him no choice but to remain inside for his own safety. The steep rise in kidnappings for ransom—combined with politically motivated gang violence—is linked to a situation in Haiti where well over half the population lives below the poverty line, the police force is either unable or unwilling to act to protect the citizenry and armed gangs operate with impunity and possibly even government support.