CRISIS IN HAITI

Children in Haiti are trapped in a deadly cycle of violence, poverty, and hunger, leaving 2 in 3 children - over 3 million - in need of emergency support. This is the highest number on record.

Gang violence has spiralled out of control over the past few months, terrorising families, and cutting them off from the very basics, like fresh food or water, healthcare, and education.

Thousands of people have been killed in the violence, including children. Cases of kidnappings, sexual violence and recruitment into armed groups is also rising at alarming rates. Up to 50% of armed groups are reported to have children in their ranks.

The violence is also forcing families to flee their homes in search of safety, with most seeking refuge in schools, churches or temporary displacement sites, which lack the basic essentials, like adequate toilets, drinking water and food. In the past two years, at least 200,000 children have been uprooted from their homes across the country – and most not for the first time. Any sense of safety they have is being ripped away from them again and again.

The country is also grappling with record high hunger levels and a widespread cholera outbreak. 1 in 2 children are facing acute hunger and over 86,000 cholera cases have been reported, which have already claimed over a thousand lives.

Hunger is also driving children to join violent armed groups, with reports of some children killing, kidnapping or looting for food.

Haiti has now also entered hurricane season, and the latest forecasts warn it could be the most severe in decades, threatening to tear apart yet more lives.

The situation is desperate. Children urgently need support to access food, healthcare, education, mental health and child protection services.

Read the latest news from Haiti.

Save the Children has been working in Haiti since 1978. Right now, we're helping families who have been forced from their homes due to the latest violence in the Port-au-Prince area, by:

• Providing cash so families can buy food, water, fuel, medicines and any other essentials
• Providing mental health support to help children process their traumatic experiences
• Running catch-up classes for children who have had their education disrupted
• Running child protection awareness campaigns to increase reporting and prevent cases of exploitation and violence

We're also working across the rest of the country, supporting children to access learning opportunities and providing health and nutrition services. These services include treating and screening children for malnutrition and delivering sexual health and protection services.

Thanks to supporters like you, Save the Children and its partners are helping protect the lives and futures of children in Haiti at this critical time. But the challenges facing children in this devastating crisis are greater than ever.

More help is desperately needed.