Life in an IDP camp
After gangs occupied their neighbourhood in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, Anne and her mother Altagrace fled to a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs), where survival depends on the safe haven provided by daily meals at school.
Hungry and traumatised by the violence around them, our school meals are helping to keep children in Haiti in the safety and stability of the classroom where they can learn and be children again.
Anne is a pupil at Marie L'Auxilliatrice school in Port-au-Prince. Originally situated in the capital’s La Saline neighbourhood, the school had to be relocated to Delmas in the west of the city following violence that erupted between rival gangs.
With 90% of Port-au-Prince now controlled by armed gangs and organised crime groups, more than 1.4 million people have been internally displaced across the country. When the gangs moved into their neighbourhood, 14-year-old Anne and her mother Altagrace became a part of this shocking statistic – fleeing to an IDP camp near Anne’s school to escape the violence.
Altagrace says: “I had a brother who was killed in a gang-related shooting. After my brother's death, I was forced to leave the area in order to save our lives.
She continues: “Imagine someone who lives in a place where ten other people live in one room. We are like animals in a cage. In the morning, even if you have money, there is nothing you can do to prepare something for the children. You can only prepare bread and peanut butter for them in the morning, which means it's not nourishing.”
For families in Haiti like Altagrace's, Mary’s Meals is providing a light in the darkness. Our school meals are more than vital nutrition – they also offer safety, routine and hope.
Altagrace says: “With the help of Mary’s Meals at school, I no longer have concerns. Sometimes the child comes home and tells me that she was given ground corn and bean stew, she was given rice with beans and vegetables. The children always come and tell me about the different types of food they are offered. Then, as a mother, even if I can't eat, if my child finds something to eat, it makes me happy.
Asked what she would like to say to people who support and donate to Mary’s Meals, Altagrace says: “May Mary’s Meals continue to operate so that children can enjoy a meal, and so that when they are learning, they can do so without worries.”
Her daughter Anne adds: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude on behalf of all the schools to which they provide hot meals. I would like to keep going like this because they are saving a lot of people.”
Altagrace and Anne's story
Together with three expert local partners, Mary's Meals is operating in one of the most challenging and risky situations we have ever faced to keep providing vital school meals for tens of thousands of children caught up in Haiti’s devastating crisis.
The ongoing chaos is disrupting how we deliver our programme: food and fuel costs are rising, and transporting food is more challenging and costly than ever as our suppliers are forced to avoid gang-controlled highways.
We urgently need your support to keep our promise to the children and families we serve in Haiti and show them that there is hope beyond the violence. Donate now and help us keep them fed and safe in school, where they can learn and dream again.
