International attention must remain focused on Haiti, where political uncertainty persists and rampant gang violence and food insecurity continue to plunge the country "into a spiralling crisis", a senior official with the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
Waanja Kaaria, WFP Representative and Country Director in Haiti, briefed journalists in New York alongside the agency's Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Lola Castro.
She cited the latest UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis which shows that some 5.4 million people in Haiti, roughly half the population, are suffering from acute hunger.
"This includes about 6,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltering in sites where we have also seen pockets of IPC5…the highest level, and this is also displayed in famine-like conditions," she said, speaking via videoconference.
Young lives at risk
Additionally, 270,000 children across the Caribbean country are acutely malnourished.
"We know also that hunger significantly increases the likelihood of engaging in adverse coping mechanisms, and especially dire for young people is that risk of being recruited by armed groups and sliding into criminality," she said.
Armed gangs have been terrorizing Haiti for several years now, especially the capital, Port-au-Prince, forcing people to flee their homes.
Ms. Kaaria reported that a recent increase in attacks has led to tens of thousands more people to be uprooted. Numbers have doubled in the last three months, bringing total displacement to over 700,000.
Aid under attack
In response to the crisis in Haiti, WFP is supporting vulnerable people, particularly in the capital city, and this work can be difficult.
On Thursday, a UN helicopter operated by the agency was hit by gunfire while departing Port-au-Prince for Les Cayes but was able to land safely. An investigation is underway.
"The interruption is only today, where we have put all flights on hold for today just to allow us time to assess the implications of the gunfire and to allow us to establish additional routes for next week, and keeping an eye on the safety of our staff," she said.
Meals and more
WFP has been responding to the crisis in Haiti by supporting vulnerable people, particularly in the capital city, and even during peak violence earlier this year.
They have provided over two million hot meals to some 135,000 IDPs through partners on the ground. The food is prepared in local kitchens and some of the workers are themselves displaced people. Meals are made from locally grown and locally produced ingredients.
Ms. Kaaria said she is always inspired visiting the kitchens, where cooking starts early in the morning so that the food is ready to be served by noon.
"This ensures that displaced people across the capital can actually receive at least one hot nutritious meal in in a day," she said
Addressing root causes of hunger
WFP has assisted some 1.4 million people to date, and aims to reach about 2.2 million by the end of the year. Support includes the distribution of cash-based transfers, with over $31 million disbursed so far, along with over 7,500 metric tonnes of food.
'With the growing numbers of IDPs and the recent deportations of Haitians from Dominican Republic, WFP continues to provide hot meals which are really, really essential to meet life-saving needs," she said.
In addition to providing humanitarian assistance, WFP stands with Haitians in addressing the structural causes of hunger and ensuring long-term development.
In this regard she pointed to its school meals programme, carried out jointly with the Government, with over half a million children benefiting. Roughly 70 per cent of the ingredients used are locally produced and sourced.
Supporting local farmers
During the school year, WFP purchases about $1.7 billion worth of commodities from small-holder farmers, targeting over 6,000 this year alone from 150 farmer organizations.
"This is important, particularly as it boosts the local economy and supports the local smallholder farmers and allows for strong supply chain resilience," she said.
WFP also works on social protection and has helped the government to create a database that contains around 30 per cent of the population.
Some 125,000 Haitians received cash transfers this year, giving them "the dignity of choice to be able to purchase what they see as the essential needs to fulfill some of their basic needs, while also contributing to the local economy."
More investment needed
Ms. Castro, the WFP Regional Director, noted that the school meals programme helps to keep children in the classroom and "creates some sort of stability and normalcy".
Yet, with 6,000 people facing catastrophic levels of hunger, more needs to be done.
"Our priority is to save lives," she said, speaking from Panama. "But also, we need to continue investing in areas where it's possible to procure food, to reduce undernutrition, to strengthen the social protection system and the education system."
She recalled that humanitarians have launched a $642 billion plan for Haiti, "but it is only 42 per cent funded, and we are in October. So really, we need to do much more, and much better, as the international community."
