Unrest continues to grow in the streets of Port-au-Prince halting life and the everyday activities of people already struggling to survive. While the number of kidnappings has decreased, the terror people face has morphed into a new form. The rising insecurity from gang violence has caused so many to be displaced abandoning their own homes because of the constant bullet showers. These families have had no other choice but to seek safety in public arenas while armed gangsters take refuge in their once peaceful communities. What can the people do when they can no longer count on the Police to uphold law and order? Nothing but shelter in place. The capital is under seige and everyday we walk past corpses on the streets. No institutions are currently functioning in the country, including the Police and Judicial system; none can do anything to counter this darkness.
Along with these threats of physical and political insecurity, no one can forget the growing threat of food insecurity in Haiti. The people are living in hunger and misery along with an excessive cost of living, which results in the decline of their already thin buying power. There aren't enough means to purchase even the essential items that are needed to basically survive. What makes all of this worse, is that it is happening while COVID-19 has begun to make its presence greater again across the country. Hospitals in heavily populated areas are already beyond capacity and do not have the space or infrastructure to accept any other patients suffering from the pandemic's symptoms. The lack of response from government agencies has left the population to fend for itself - again.
Despite all of this uncertainty and unrest, Asosyasyon Fanm Vanyan Fyèvil (AFVF) continued to show such amazing progress since implementing the changes we discussed in our last report to you. Several small committees were established throughout the communities AFVF serves to pay closer attention to the goats' health needs in an effort to produce better results. The essential medications that were needed are now readily accessible since the organization has made arrangements with the smaller groups to store larger quanitities. They have established a more streamlined system of distribution to the members as well.
The goats are doing so well that the members are able to sell the older ones that have been replaced with younger goats. There were 26 kids that were born during the first quarter in 2021 from the 216 goats the organization had distributed bringing them to 242 goats altogether. Unfortunately, they ended up losing 38 goats that fell sick, leaving them with 204. As of today, all 120 members of AFVF have received a goat with 65 of them receiving twice. It is amazing to be able to share with you that 61 of the goats have already birthed 98 kids!
What can we say? The more, the merrier!
