Greetings to all our friends, family, and our supporters who pray for, and encourage, us.

Luckner in our school office

JJ, my eldest child teaching in our school

My second eldest Moise on the right in his final year, grade 13, of high school.

My son, Judel, on the right.

This is a short update as many of you are wondering about how Haiti, and how Luckner and all the children are doing.

Luckner continues to do the very best job possible of keeping all our children safe and cared for in a continuously dangerous situation. Our children are all well and all attending school, JJ as a teacher, and the others as students. For this I thank God daily.

A break from class

My son, Judel, on the right.

Senior secondary between classes

Our Hands Across the Sea-Haiti school, IMKH, is continuing to educate our students, under the direction of our school director, Luckner, who is always vigilantly alert for gang members. The students are receiving an education and are being fed daily.

A gang that has harmed, terrified, and killed people in our area has settled in the next town to us. People fled the town. There is no safe way to pass through that gang controlled town  There is another gang controlling a town on the other side of our area which means people can’t safely drive anywhere. The words ‘boxed in’ comes to mind.

The way people have to live in Haiti, with one eye open all the time in order to try to stay alive is extremely difficult and so very sad. Please pray for the Haitian people.

I am including a couple of articles below from the Haitian Times newspaper about Canada and the US pledging millions to combat Haiti’s crisis; funding multinational mission, urging international support for security and aid, and about the organized crime they have on Haiti’s roads. Doing it this way will give you a little idea of what is going on there better than me trying to explain.

Haiti Foreign Relations

Canada and US pledge millions in multinational intervention of Haiti’s gang crisis This week’s Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has pledged $91 million USD on behalf of Canada to Haiti Aid and the US has followed suit with $200 million to support the multinational efforts led by Kenya to Haiti. Canada has pledged significant financial support to aid Haiti in combating its current humanitarian crisis. With an allocation of C$123 million ($91 million USD), including C$80.5 million ($59.6 million USD) for a multinational security mission led by Kenya, Canada aims to bolster efforts to tackle criminal gangs plaguing the nation. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly emphasized that this support is crucial for facilitating interventions to safeguard Haitians and empower local initiatives aimed at restoring peace and prosperity. The United States has also stepped up its commitment, announcing an intention to provide $200 million to bolster the multinational security support mission. Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted the urgent need for international solidarity, urging other nations to contribute resources such as personnel, equipment, and training to address Haiti’s gang crisis. Blinken highlighted the severity of the crisis, citing rampant gang control in Port-au-Prince, widespread food insecurity, and escalating violence. He emphasized the importance of stabilizing the security situation to facilitate effective aid delivery and pave the way for Haiti’s return to democracy. Acknowledging the UN-authorized multinational mission as a critical component in stabilizing Haiti, Blinken thanked Kenya for leading the effort. He also commended the contributions announced by countries such as Canada, Benin, France, Germany, and Jamaica. Despite ongoing challenges, Blinken reiterated the international community’s commitment to supporting Haiti’s journey towards democratic governance. Stressing the importance of inclusive governance and free and fair elections, he emphasized that long-term peace and stability hinge on restoring democratic order. Report: Haiti’s gangs extort $8,000 daily from drivers, $20,000 from businesses Gangs diversify their income streams to buy weapons, according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

PORT-AU-PRINCE — The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime has revealed in an investigative report that gangs in Haiti today have made the country’s national highways one of their three main sources of income, extorting between $6,000 to $8,000 daily from commuter and commercial drivers using the roads.

In addition to the extortion of drivers, gangs have also collected funds by force or threats from businesses and through the common kidnapping-for-ransom of individuals, according to the report.

Up to $8000 collected from road checkpoints

Gangs make between $6,000 to $8,000 per day to let drivers with passengers and goods carriers cross the highways that are under their control, reports, based in Geneva, Switzerland, in an investigative report on the gang crisis in Haiti and international responses.

Some gangs demand that transport drivers have a gang-issued card to pay their extortion amount weekly instead of on the day of travel. According to the report, the strictest checkpoints are located at the entry and exit points of Port-au-Prince, the Artibonite department, Canaan and Martissant.

“Even though bureaucratization offers a certain degree of security to commuters and transporters, travel remains extremely dangerous, exposing residents to threats, physical violence, theft, and kidnappings,” the global anti-gang group’s authors said.

Entreprises pay up to $20,000 to operate

Kidnappings generate millions of dollars

The report said kidnapping remains one of the most important criminal markets in and around the capital. Kidnapping has become an ‘industry’ generating millions of dollars per year. However, the report’s authors do not mention exact figures from the crime.

Will this effort of Kenya sending 1000 police, and other countries sending in hundreds of police to help the Haitian police fight gangs help? I sincerely hope so.

For my part, I will wait, watch and pray. Will you join me in praying that the effort of these police from various countries will help the precious Haitian people.

God bless you all.

Karen
Founder and Director
Hands Across the Sea-Haiti