Washington Post

Haitians are Being Held Hostage by a Surge in Kidnappings

  • Posted on: 11 October 2021
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

This is not the first time that insecurity, poverty, a compromised police force, and a polticial power vacuum has enabled a surge in kidnappings.  What is different this time is both the extent and the methods - police officers, doctors, priests, and entire busses of people have been kidnapped.   Both rich and poor are vulnerable.  The companies that continue to operate in Port au Prince are moving their staff into compounds, transporting them in armored cars, and some are commuting by boat to avoid the roads entirely.  In this environment, instability will persist, the economy will not grow, and those who can will leave through either regular or irregular means will do so.  As is so often said, Haiti is at a crossroads - the way ahead is uncertain.   The full article by Washington Post contributor Anthony Faiola and Widlore Merancourt follows.  

Photo Essay: The Importance of Midwives in Haiti

  • Posted on: 29 July 2017
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Haiti's infant mortality rate remains the highest in the western hemisphere.  This is due in part to a lack of accessible health care facilities with sufficient staffing, training, and equipment.  With funding from Every Mother Counts, Midwives for Haiti have been training skilled birth atttendants (midwives) to asist mothers during delivery.  Ideally, every Haitian mother could deliver in a facility staffed by health care professionals available to them twenty four hours a day.  That's isn't the reality for most Haitian mothers, making the work of skilled birth attendents critical for them and their babies.  Take a look at the full Washington Post photo essay to learn more.