Photo story: Crisis after crisis for girls in Haiti

May 12, 2023

Haiti is grappling with a devastating hunger crisis that has left nearly half the population — close to 5 million people — without enough to eat. The number of people without reliable access to food in the country has tripled since 2016. Hunger is now at catastrophic levels in Haiti.  

So, how did we get here? 

Since the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, political instability has led to gangs taking control of most of the capital city, Port-au-Prince. Violence in surrounding neighborhoods has made it nearly impossible for children and their families to leave their homes to get food and water.  

Half of the food in Haiti is imported because of its weak agricultural system, caused by recurrent natural disasters and a lack of education on farming techniques. Because of higher prices on imported foods, now coupled with global inflation, basics like rice and flour are at an all-time high — up 88% in price in October 2022. On top of that, Haiti’s long history of devastating natural disasters (the most recent earthquake hitting the country in August 2021) continues to set back progress.  

Read: The earthquake and beyond: 4 crises for girls in Haiti 

The hunger that Lettycia, a 10-year-old girl living in the southeast of Haiti, deals with every day is making it difficult to survive. 

“Sometimes I feel sick, weak and on the verge of collapse because I am so hungry,” Lettycia says. “When I get home, sometimes I find food there, sometimes I don’t. Not eating like I used to has had an impact on my school work. When I’m hungry, I can’t study and I fall asleep.” 

Lettycia wears a red floral dress and sits on a wooden chair, holding a green bowl.
Lettycia lives in a small house together with her aunt, uncle and two cousins in Haiti. Her family no longer has enough money to buy nutritious food due to skyrocketing prices in Haiti.

Lettycia’s family used to eat three meals a day, but now they can only afford one family meal each day, which they share. 

“There are many things that have changed,” she says. “Now, sometimes I go a day without eating, and when that happens, my aunt borrows money to feed us.”  

Lettycia stands under a tree next to her young cousin, who wears a pink and white dress, and her aunt stands to the left of them, who’s wearing a white shirt and brown skirt.
Lettycia’s mother lives in the Dominican Republic and sends money to Lettycia’s aunt to help provide for the family. "It’s difficult for us because whenever my mother sends us money, my aunt has to use it to pay off our debts for the food we have already bought and eaten," Lettycia says.

As well as her long journey to school each day, Lettycia also has to walk for an hour to collect water for the family. Girls who travel on their own are at heightened risk of sexual violence from gangs, something which 10-year-old Lettycia is already well aware of. I believe that girls are the most vulnerable during this crisis,” she tells us.  

Another girl in Haiti who Plan spoke with named Dialissa has the same concern. “We can’t walk safely at any time of the night because of the situation in the country,” she says. I’m afraid about coming home when I’m alone because I don’t know what will happen to me.” 

Dialissa wears a white tee-shirt and stands in front of a wooded shed.
"As a young girl, sometimes I have to walk home alone and I’m afraid that something might happen to me,” Dialissa says.

Dialissa says a girl from her neighborhood was raped while walking home at night, and she discovered after that she had contracted HIV. When the attack was reported to police, the perpetrator had already fled the region. Knowing that story, Dialissa lives in constant fear for her safety.  

Violence has also made it difficult for girls like Dialissa to access education. In September 2022, Haiti was under a lockdown known as “Peyi Lòk,” which was led by Haitian citizens to push the government to fix the economic crisis. The lockdown resulted in senseless shootings, forcing children to stay home from school. Dialissa was out of school for more than two months. And although she’s back in school now, hunger makes it extremely difficult to concentrate.  

Dialissa stands in a doorway, with a red floral curtain hanging above her and papers pinned on the wall to her right.
“There are many things I have lost that I will never get back,” Dialissa says with sadness in her voice.

Chedeline, another 12-year-old girl in southeast Haiti, spoke with Plan at her school and says she never has money to buy lunch. She studies diligently, but her grades have dropped since the hunger crisis hit.   

“When I’m hungry, I can’t study,” Chedeline says. “I haven’t eaten anything this morning — I hope to eat some rice later today. I often go days without eating. I don’t eat three times a day because my family can’t afford it. I usually eat a little rice, maize or millet each day. I don’t eat anything else due to lack of money. I rarely eat meat.” 

A headshot of Chedeline wearing blue clips in her hair and a pink floral dress, with her hand rested under her chin.
Chedeline’s poor diet has made her visibly weak, and she says she often feels unwell and too tired to do anything. 

Chedeline’s school is built out of wooden planks, and when it rains, water seeps through the ceilings. The school doesn’t have any clean water, so children often go the whole day without something to drink. The school’s lack of resources makes it hard for girls like her to succeed. “I think if I were better fed, I could get higher grades,” Chedeline says.  

Girls’ stories in Haiti are heartbreaking, but you have the power to help change their futures. By donating to Plan’s response to the hunger crisis, you’ll provide support like food and clean water for families, treatment for malnutrition, school meal programs and more.  

Because of the gifts from people like you, Lettycia’s family has already received some cash transfers from Plan to help them survive.  

“I received a cash transfer from Plan International in August 2022, when the country was in the middle of social unrest,” Lettycia’s cousin, Claire, who works as a market trader, explains. “The situation was really difficult for us and things were extremely expensive. We bought food with the money, which supported us for about 15 days.” 

Lettycia sits on a mattress and looks down at a textbook, and her young cousin lays beside her on an orange and pink pillow.
Lettycia reads at her home in the southeast of Haiti, as her cousin sleeps beside her.

Claire has also taken part in Plan workshops to learn about sexual and reproductive health and rights, and she was accepted into a six-month training program to learn how to support pregnant girls and children in her region.  

“Plan International’s assistance has put a smile on the faces of those who have been affected by this crisis,” Claire says. “This enables them to keep going and not give up.”  

With your support, girls in Haiti are still dreaming big. When we asked Dialissa about what she hopes for the future, she told us, “If I were president of Haiti, I would try to solve the problem of insecurity. I would make sure that the bandits stop killing innocent people and that we all unite to fight against them.” 

Dialissa looks at the camera while writing on a blackboard with chalk, in her house in Haiti.
Dialissa practices her French language skills at home so that she won’t fall behind in school.

Will you donate to fight hunger and protect girls in Haiti?