Humanitarians continue to support Haitians affected by rampant gang violence in the capital, Port-au-Prince, while an appeal for the country remains underfunded, the UN said on Monday.
On Saturday alone, the World Food Programme (WFP) provide more than 28,000 meals to people who have been forced to flee their homes.
Despite the widespread insecurity, WFP has delivered food assistance to some 480,000 people across the country since the beginning of March, thanks to partners on the ground – including Haitian non-governmental organizations, local businesses and Haitian farmers’ organizations.
Meals, medicine and more
The UN agency has distributed more than 358,000 hot meals to more than 69,000 people in 48 displacement sites in the capital over the past month.
Humanitarian partners also have delivered more than 2.3 million litres of water to nearly 29 displacement sites, which has benefited some 60,000 displaced people.
Traumatized Haitians, including children, have also received medicine and psychosocial support.
The health sector has been severely affected by the violence over the past month, with at least half of the health facilities in the capital either closed or functioning below their normal capacity.
The ongoing insecurity has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in Haiti. More than 360,000 people are currently displaced, including some 160,000 in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, and more than 1,000 schools have been closed across the country.
Meanwhile, a $674 million humanitarian plan for Haiti, announced in February, is less than seven per cent funded.
SOURCE: UN News. Headline photo:© WFP/Pedro Rodrigues. Children in Haiti eat a hot meal provided by the UN and partners at school.
