59 Haitian children with disabilities evacuated to Jamaica

Fifty-nine Haitian children with disabilities and 13 caregivers were evacuated by boat to  Jamaica on Thursday, fleeing the ongoing gang conflict that has severely disrupted essential services in their home country.

The children are under the care of the nonprofit organization HaitiChildren, which coordinated the trip with Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) Jamaica.

The children were given medical screenings upon arrival, according to the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper. They and the caregivers will be accommodated at MSC’s Jacob’s Ladder facility, in Moneague. 

The children “were forced to leave the organization’s home in Haiti when growing unrest made it unsafe for them to continue living there” MSC said Thursday in a statement to NBC News.

The health system in Haiti is under strain, with facilities and hospitals in Port-au-Prince, the capital, forced to close, medicines in short supply, and medical personnel too afraid to leave their homes. “The children were left without access to vital supplies and urgent medical attention,” MSC stated. 

The Rev. Garvin Augustine, executive director of Mustard Seed Communities International, emphasized the organization’s commitment to helping those in need. 

“The arrival of these children in Jamaica is a testament to our dedication,” he said in the statement. “We recognize the profound responsibility we have taken on, and we promise to provide them with the care and support they deserve.”

Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, gangs in Haiti have significantly increased their power. In the last several weeks, the violence has escalated and these armed groups now reportedly control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince.

More than 15,000 people have been displaced since February, adding to the 362,000 already internally displaced due to the violence, which is impeding aid efforts. Armed groups controlling main roads have disrupted food-supply routes, exacerbating the country’s hunger crisis. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable, facing relentless waves of brutal violence, including rape, as gangs vie for control of the capital.

Approximately 1.4 million Haitians are on the brink of famine, with over 4 million in need of food assistance, often having to survive on just one meal a day or even nothing at all, according to U.N. Aid.