Haiti Faces Catastrophic Hunger and Violence Ahead of Hurricane Season

WFP's Dire Situation in Haiti

• 🚨 Lola Castro, WFP Regional Director, highlights that Haiti's hurricane season begins with empty warehouses and no stocks for emergency assistance.
• 📉 The WFP faces a severe funding crisis, with the UN humanitarian response plan for Haiti only 8% funded.
• 💰 WFP alone needs $46 million for the next six months, with an urgent need for $20 million to continue operations.

Widespread Hunger and Displacement

• 🌍 5.7 million people in Haiti are currently facing hunger or emergency levels of hunger, making it one of the five countries with catastrophic hunger levels.
• 🏘️ In Port-au-Prince's displaced camps, approximately 8,500 people suffer without basic necessities like food, water, and sanitation.
• 🌾 Around 14,000 recently displaced people from Kenscoff are receiving food assistance after their homes were burned and livelihoods destroyed.

Gender-Based Violence and Food System Disruption

• ⚠️ 6,000 women and girls have reported gender-based violence, with Port-au-Prince identified as one of the most dangerous places globally for women and girls.
• ⛓️ The ongoing conflict is severely disrupting food systems and supply chains within Port-au-Prince and Haiti.

Impact on School Children and Local Farmers

• 📚 WFP normally assists half a million children daily with school meals, but this number will be halved without additional resources.
• 🧑‍🌾 Local procurement from smallholder farmers for school meals is crucial for their livelihoods, but this is threatened by the funding shortage.

Urgent Need for Humanitarian Support

• 🆘 A single storm could plunge hundreds of thousands more people into humanitarian catastrophe and hunger.
• 🤝 The WFP and humanitarian community are calling for immediate support to hold the line on hunger and provide essential needs like food, water, and sanitation to avoid a larger catastrophe.