A Scottish charity providing food to children in Haiti has launched an urgent appeal for support as the country grapples with escalating gang violence. The World Food Programme says more than half the population of the Caribbean country, 5.7 million people, is experiencing acute levels of hunger, including at least one million children.
Gangs exploit hunger to recruit children in Haiti as violence escalates
Mary’s Meals, which provides school meals to children in 16 countries, warned that vulnerable children are being forced to join armed gangs by the promise of food. The charity stated that armed conflict is intensifying in the absence of a functional government.
The organization says more than 1.4 million people are displaced, half of whom are children. It also reveals that gangs now control 90 percent of the capital city, Port-Au-Prince, with violence spreading to areas of the country that were previously considered safe.
Emmline Toussaint, main coordinator of the charity’s school feeding programme in Haiti, said gangs deliberately target vulnerable children. She warned that once a child joins a gang, there is no way out.
“You cannot get out once you get in a gang. It’s either you die, or your family dies, or you stay in. We have already lost those aged 15 to 30. That’s why we need to work more with those children aged three to 14,” she explained.
Mary’s Meals reaches children by working with local partners, who have adapted their delivery plans to continue accessing as many schools as possible. The charity said that in schools where it operates, children have a reason to attend class and the energy to concentrate.
Charity founder sees signs of hope despite Haiti’s crisis
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, who founded Mary’s Meals from a shed in the Scottish Highlands, admitted he always knew Haiti would be an extremely difficult place for the organisation to work. However, he never imagined that two decades later, the situation would become even more terrible.
MacFarlane- Barrow said despite the poverty, hunger, and disruption that still stand in the way of children and their education, there are signs of hope. He highlighted how children are smiling in school where they feel safe and receive a meal.
Additionally, he reaffirmed the charity’s commitment to keeping children in school through its feeding programme.
However, Ms. Toussaint described the situation in Haiti as more desperate than she has ever known. She contrasted it with her own childhood when children could play safely outside.
She also noted that gunfire has become a daily reality, with any day passing without shootings considered a great achievement.
Mary’s Meals said it is now operating in one of the most challenging and risky situations it has ever faced. The charity has issued an urgent appeal for donations to help provide nutrition to children in safe learning environments.
In a recent development, the Scottish Government unveiled a £5.8 million funding package to drive transformation in whole-family support services amid child poverty. First Minister John Swinney declared the eradication of child poverty as his top priority.