Responding to Humanitarian Crisis in Haiti

Armed gang violence forced Marie and her 5 children to flee their home in search of safety.

But they did not all escape.

Her husband was killed in the violence.

Suddenly, Marie was displaced, grieving, caring for her children, and trying to rebuild a life with almost nothing.

“When I arrived at the DDO site, things were very difficult for us and unbearable for me because we had absolutely nothing.”

This is the reality facing thousands of displaced families in Haiti. They aren't simply leaving their homes. Many are fleeing violence with only what they can carry, arriving in displacement sites without adequate shelter, food, clean water, sanitation or even the most basic necessities.

For Marie and her children, help from HRI brought some stability in the middle of that uncertainty.

Food. Shelter. Assistance for her baby. And, critically, water.

Of everything she shared with us, it was what Marie Carmelle said about water that stayed with us:

“Water is a special help for us. I would rather have other problems, as long as we have water to use.”

Think about that for a moment.

For most of us, turning on a faucet is something we rarely have to think about. For a mother who has lost her husband, fled her home, and is trying to protect her children in a displacement camp, access to water means something entirely different.

It means her children can drink.

It means they can wash.

It means a mother can bathe her children and help protect them from disease.

It means dignity in a place where so much has already been taken away.

Through HRI's work with displaced families in Haiti, families like Marie's are receiving clean water and access to showers, along with other critical assistance.

And Marie wants the people who make that possible to know what it means to her family:

“Thanks to the assistance from HRI, we have received many things. Thank you.”

Your generosity is behind that “thank you.” 

When you give to HRI, you're helping us stand beside families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives—not only meeting immediate needs, but reminding them that they have not been forgotten. Thank you.