Sonje-Ayiti's work continues amidst chaos, violence, Cholera, lockdowns, roadblocks, lack of food, water, medicine and power. Case managers support 100 community members in a program to alleviate extreme poverty. Food is safely distributed or stipends given to the families of many of the 296 students now unable to have a daily meal to buy seeds for fast-growing crops. Treatment and monitoring are provided to 52 severely malnourished children, and mental health community support for depression.
Protests in the streets, clashes with police, violent street gangs, unaffordable fuel prices due to the hijacking of fuel at main terminals by the gangs, the exorbitant cost of transportation, roadblocks, lockdowns, lack of food, clean water, or medicines, and Cholera have become the everyday life and struggle for Haitians. Businesses, schools, financial institutions, and Customs offices remain closed. Despair and death are a constant presence in the lives of almost five million Haitians.
Sonje Ayiti is distributing food and water in communities to beneficiaries of its programs. At risk are the children at CIMA school, participants in the poverty alleviation CLM program, and children being treated for malnutrition. When distribution is not possible due to safety concerns, stipends are given to the families to purchase seeds for quick-growing food such as corn and beans, or to start businesses in their front yards. Mental health support is provided for depression due to lockdowns.
The project directly affects the 296 school children, 100 participants in the poverty alleviation program, 52 malnourished children and their families. It provides food and education to the school children to prepare them for higher education and jobs after graduation, and training to the participants in the poverty alleviation program to help them lift themselves out of extreme poverty. The project also provides physical and mental healthcare to help families cope with their harsh daily lives.
