Bruno Maes (centre), the UNICEF representative in Haiti, visits a school in Artibonite.The goal is to get children back to learning and into school meal programmes, according to a UNICEF report, published in French in late March.
A children’s playground structure becomes a shelter for people in the Tabarre area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Classrooms become home
“The Haitian population is caught in the crossfire,” said Catherine Russell, head of UNICEF. “Spaces for children have been transformed into battlegrounds. Each passing day brings new deprivations and horrors to the people of Haiti.”Amid the very clear dangers, parents “still want to send their children to school”, he said. “Education is at the heart of every Haitian family; people put a very high value on it.” “Many schools are not accessible as violence is ramping up around them,” said UNICEF’s representative in Haiti, Bruno Maes. “Some are occupied by gangs, others by displaced people and still more have been looted or destroyed.”Despite this, the majority of schools outside the troubled gang-controlled areas of Port-au-Prince and Artibonite are still functioning. Many have admitted children who have fled because of violence and insecurity, although some parents are unable to pay school fees due to increasing poverty.UNICEF has urged all parties to safeguard students, educators, parents and educational infrastructure in line with the Safe Schools Declaration, a global political commitment endorsed by 119 countries, including Haiti, for better protection measures and support for continuing education during armed conflicts.Children in Haiti eat a meal provided as part of WFP’s school feeding programme.
Terrorised and traumatised
Efforts include an International Organization for Migration (IOM) initiative currently providing psychosocial support to students forced out of school by the violence, and the World Food Programme (WFP) supports hot meals for 250,000 children across the country.© WFP/Jonathan DumontAs of late March, violence had displaced at least 362,000 people, with many trapped in the besieged capital and thousands finding temporary shelter in public buildings, including schools.© UNOCHA/Giles Clarke
Multipronged response
Basic security is urgently needed for the lifesaving services and for aid workers to reach those in desperate need, she said, calling for the protection of schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure children rely on and for safeguarding humanitarian spaces.If schools remain shuttered, distance learning can be deployed via radio, television and e-learning platforms. UNICEF is collaborating with the Ministry of Education to find a way to deliver this via Radio Télé Éducative (RTE) broadcasts on Haiti’s national radio station.Students in the capital Port-au-Prince have missed hundreds of hours of class time over the past year and now, now, more than one million Haitians are facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity, according to a new UN-backed report.
Redefining schools
As deadly threats to school security continue in Port-au-Prince, and northern parts of the Artibonite department, UN News examined the situation on the ground and how the UN is responding to the worsening educational crisis.Many other schools abruptly shut in Port-au-Prince in late February, when armed gangs coordinated breakouts in jails, freeing around 4,500 prisoners.As gangs continue to expand their control of vital roads and ports, their grip is extending outside the capital and the threat to school safety is mounting.Part of UNICEF’s work is assisting families affected by violence and displacement to reintegrate children into formal education. Where this is not feasible, the agency works with partners to establish alternative, safe and temporary learning environments.