“I thought it was the end for me”
Surging violence in Haiti has forced thousands of families to flee their homes – and exposed displaced children to horrors no child should have to endure.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti –“It used to be very calm in my neighbourhood,” says 9-year-old Jean* as he recalls how life used to be in the Savane Pistache area of the capital, Port-au-Prince. “I could go to school. I could visit the doctor when I was sick. I could play with my friends. And I could eat as much as I wanted.”
“But everything changed overnight.”
Jean says he was playing with some friends near his family’s house when he heard loud noises nearby. Was it gunshots? Surely no, not so close to his home. But as the sounds drew closer, he decided to run home to see what was happening. “I saw smoke rising in the sky. The houses in the neighborhood were on fire,” he says. “Our only escape route was through the backdoor. Everything happened so fast. We didn’t have time to bring anything.”
Stories like Jean’s have become tragically commonplace in recent months as armed violence has swept Port-au-Prince, spilling over into Artibonite department and other areas and forcing thousands of children and their families to flee in search of safety.
“As we left our neighbourhood, we saw people who had been shot laying on the ground, covered in blood. We were in the middle of the street and didn’t know what to do,” Jean says. “To escape the danger, we found somewhere on a hill. We spent the night there but didn’t get a wink of sleep.”
Bad to worse
The next day, Jean and his family continued their journey, although they didn’t know where they should go next. “There were so many people in the same situation as us. Seeing all these people with bags and other belongings fleeing their neighborhoods was quite strange,” he says.
Jean’s family found a shelter, but it was too crowded for them to stay, so they continued their search for somewhere safe to rest. “I was barefoot in the street,” Jean says. “I was hungry and thirsty. I thought it was the end for me.”
The first few months of 2024 have been marked by a significant decline in security conditions for families, sparked by a surge in countrywide protests and demonstrations. The escalating armed violence has turned children’s playgrounds, schools, and homes into war zones in many parts of Port-au-Prince. It has also restricted the delivery of aid, which is having a devastating impact on the estimated 5.5 million Haitians who will require humanitarian assistance and protection in 2024.
Jean’s family eventually found another shelter, but it didn’t have enough room for the whole family. “It was really tough,” he says. “It was hard to watch my father, older brother, and uncle leave to find another shelter. I stayed with my mother, sisters, grandmother, and aunt.”
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the rest of the family to find another site. But a few days later they received some terrible news – Jean’s father had returned to their old neighbourhood to try to retrieve some of the family’s belongings, only to discover that their home had been destroyed. The family was left with nothing.
“He told me bandits had burned down our house and even my school,” Jean says.
A safe space
Tens of thousands of Haiti’s children are experiencing horrors no child should – the fear of being separated from family, walking streets lined with dead bodies, schools burned to the ground, and ultimately the risk of being assaulted or killed as they search for somewhere safe to shelter.
Given these conditions, UNICEF and its local partner APADEH are establishing child-friendly spaces, including through mobile teams, to provide displaced children with access to engaging activities to help them cope with their recent experiences and to provide them with a semblance of normality.
Jean says he’s sad because he can’t see his father and older brother regularly and because he can’t go to school. “I don’t eat or sleep properly. I keep thinking about my friends. We sleep at this site, but the conditions aren’t good,” he says. “But I enjoy participating in the activities and games organized in the camp. I learn new things and make new friends at the site.”
Ultimately, though, Haiti’s children need lasting peace to allow them to return to their communities, their schools, and the lives that have been put on hold while they seek safety.
“I want to go home with my family,” Jean says. “I want to return to school because my dream is to become a doctor to take care of children who are suffering.”
*Name changed for safety reasons.
Read more about the situation in Haiti and UNICEF’s $221.7 million appeal to provide life-saving support for children and their families.
