Haiti is marking the 15th anniversary of the devastating earthquake, and children still need food

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – As Haiti prepares to mark the 15th anniversary of its devastating earthquake, the Marie Meals Foundation is continuing its efforts to make sure children there are able to get healthy food at school.

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck the Caribbean nation on January 12, 2010, killing an estimated 160,000 people and causing billions of dollars in property damage.

The Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, often called the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, was destroyed during the earthquake.

Mary's Meals is a Scotland-based charity named after Mary, the mother of Jesus. Its founders are Catholic, although it is not an official Catholic organization.

The report says that 15 years after the earthquake, the main threat facing Haiti is not from nature but from extreme instability caused by outlaw gangs.

“Life is dominated by daily shootings and killings, with entire areas under gang rule, leaving residents powerless to ensure their safety. Schools are closed, businesses are paralyzed, and many basic services are inaccessible,” the charity said in a statement.

“The gangs’ regional dominance has disrupted food imports and distribution. Ports are closed, roads are closed, and alternative means of transportation such as boats or helicopters are expensive and risky.

Mary's Meals says precious home-grown produce is rotting because farmers can't access markets, leaving producers and consumers struggling to afford food. At the same time, prices of basic items such as rice have risen, making hunger a greater threat to a population devastated by unemployment and the frequent destruction of homes, which often contain families' life savings.

“Food is the biggest motivator. To prevent children from joining gangs, we have to focus on poverty. It is poverty that is killing them,” said Emmeline Toussaint, one of the coordinators of Mary Mills’ school feeding program in Haiti.

“They are living a nightmare. Maryam’s meals are needed now more than ever. “We are doing our best to make sure the children eat every day because if we don’t have the school feeding programme, the children won’t get anything,” she added.

Relief agencies working in the country face enormous logistical challenges.

Mary's Meals says storing food is risky due to looting, while importing food is expensive and dangerous, with deliveries vulnerable to hijacking.

The charity warns that despite efforts to provide aid, the lives and livelihoods of ordinary Haitians remain at risk due to severe food insecurity, escalating violence and a failing economy.

“It's like the kids are in prison, and they're not coming out,” said Chantrelle, who has an 11-year-old son in eighth place. “In December, which is the traditional time when Haitians celebrate outside, everyone stayed home, and the kids didn't go out.” Because they are afraid of what might happen.” Al-Saf works as a shop owner in an area mostly controlled by gangs.

Mary's Meals is currently on the ground in 500 educational settings in Haiti feeding 175,000 children every school day with the support of local volunteers.

Mirlande works as a cook at Verena II Elementary School in Haiti.

“When there are no meals at school, the children don't come and when they have meals, they always come,” she said.

“This means they don't have time to be out on the streets, drawn to what's happening there. So, coming to school and getting food is the best way to keep them in education and away from gangs.”

Toussaint told Crooks that food is “the biggest motivator.”

“Recently, a priest who lived in gang territory was attacked by a gang member. He gave them 50 pumpkins so they could buy food. 50 pumpkins are less than $0.50. My reaction was that if this little boy received a Mary’s meal he probably wouldn’t.” “They only have a gun so they can eat,” she said. “They don’t have food, so poverty makes it worse.”

“When they come to school, they know there is food waiting for them. It's more important than ever that these kids have that food every day,” Toussaint said.

However, she also does not want people to see the Haitian people as simple victims.

“We always like to laugh and crack a joke, even in the worst situations. One day I saw a message in a group chat, saying when it rains, you hear the sound of rain on the roof, right? Well, please, if you hear it here, it's not rain, it's shooting.” Fire, so please don't go out collecting rainwater. It's funny, but it still shows our reality. “If they're shooting so much that you think it's raining outside, but it's not raining, it's raining,” Toussaint told Crux. Fire, you know.”

“I say this to show how Haitians are trying to adapt to the situation, and I think that's what keeps us alive, that's what keeps us here even today. We accept the minimum, the minimum. “Okay, we can go out today, then we will be happy.” Finally, I will go out after two or three weeks indoors. “We are not asking for much,” she continued.

“We have it, I don't know, it's in our genes, to easily handle the situation and try to find a way forward,” Toussaint said.

She said Haitians are “resilient.”

“And maybe that's why we're here now. If we had been more proactive, if we had been more aggressive, we probably wouldn't have what we have now, but we would have stopped it to begin with. But we keep hoping against all hope,” she said.

“This is the way we are. We just hope things get better. And we pray a lot. That's one of the things I have to say as well, we pray a lot, and I think we're still here because of our prayers,” Toussaint told Cox.

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