Stories from the current crisis in Haiti: Words from Ismaella

The crisis in Haiti is still ongoing and we are not yet able to be able to see the light. While we remain hopeful that things cannot possibly stay this way, we cannot hide the hurt we feel each time someone from our HDC family is directly affected by these inhuman acts and by the general instability. We have reached out to many of you for support and the response has been so heartwarming that it gives us the strength to keep going. But the work is not over. We feel like it is important to put names and faces behind these stories. It always seems non-urgent until there is a face attached, for us this is extremely personal and terrifying. Read the words of Ismaella below. 

“My name is Ismaella Carmelle. To tell you a little about my story, I've had to flee my home because of the gang shootings happening all over. I had to leave in april of 2021. I was out that day and they contacted me saying no need to come back. We were in between two gang shootings feeling powerless. Since April 24th I've been living at the workshop where arrangements have been made for us to stay. There is also this fear that something will happen again, that the gangs can come back any time. It is something that we cannot control and feel powerless about.”

-Ismaella, Manager at HDC

Stories from the current crisis in Haiti: Words from Wideleine

The crisis in Haiti is still ongoing and we are not yet able to be able to see the light. While we remain hopeful that things cannot possibly stay this way, we cannot hide the hurt we feel each time someone from our HDC family is directly affected by these inhuman acts and by the general instability. We have reached out to many of you for support and the response has been so heartwarming that it gives us the strength to keep going. But the work is not over. We feel like it is important to put names and faces behind these stories. It always seems non-urgent until there is a face attached, for us this is extremely personal and terrifying. Read the words of Ismaella below. Today, we are sharing the words of Wideleine.

“Gangs came in at the church I attend. They came in to kill a cop. I had 3 kids with me, one of them still a baby of 9 months. No need to tell you how I felt. I started running and lost a friend I was with. My friend grabbed my 2 other kids while I kept the baby. They only killed the cop, however we were all left traumatized and afraid. My husband came shortly after when he heard the news. When we got home, my eldest said he did not want to stay in Port-au-Prince anymore. On July 27th, they killed 2 young men in our area. That was only 2 days after the church incident. That is when I asked for help to leave my area because my kids were not well. We went to the countryside and my eldest stayed and did not want to come back. I came back to PAP with my two youngest but could not get myself to go back to my area. It was never my plan to separate from my child. It grieves me so much to have to do this. Thanks to the home we have with HDC I am able to feel safer. My husband and I feel very scared and are living under constant stress. I don't know what to ask for. Whatever is possible for us to have somewhat of a normal life again is what we are craving.”

-Wideleine, jewelry artisan