Dear Friends,

News reports from Haiti this week paint a desperate picture, and at Just Haiti we want to give you a report on the condition of the families we work with.

 

Although there have been some casualties reported around the country, all of the families we work with are ok as far as we know. Most schools and offices are closed, as street demonstrations have become violent. Roads are closed, cutting off supplies of food, water, and other necessities. We are told that most people are staying home. We have also heard about break-ins, burning cars, and burning infrastructure. If this continues, we are concerned about hunger, and with inflation reported at around 20%, people will have to make their small incomes go even farther.

 

We work directly with associations of small coffee growers, so our payments for coffee are sent directly to them and do not go through any other offices in Haiti. They do have to go through the banking system, and banks are currently not operating, so the payments we sent for our most recent coffee shipment two weeks ago have not been distributed. Our staff in Haiti will retrieve those funds only when it is safe.

 

Just Haiti is supporting vulnerable families the best way we know how: through economic development for small scale farmers that increases their household income. More income enables them to purchase what they need so that they can survive and recover from these kinds of disruptions.

 

We really appreciate your prayers and your support.

The Just Haiti Team