Families in Haiti Carry the Weight of Sever Food Insecurity that has been Created by Human Actions in Haiti and Moral Inaction Beyond Haiti

Photo from Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations

Conditions in Haiti have worsened ever more steadily in the past 5 years, reaching now, shocking levels of injustice. Armed groups block roads, disrupt food supplies, and attack hospitals, shutting down nutrition programs that once supported children and vulnerable adults. The mass destruction of livelihoods and the displacement of families make finding a reliable and continuous food source a daily struggle.  While there are—and has been--a national scarcity of resources, food insecurity in Haiti reflects a global failure to uphold our duty to stop harm. Food security is the state of having reliable access to nutritious food, while food insecurity is the state of not having reliable access to nutritious food. According to the United Nations News, roughly 5.7 million Haitians are being affected by food insecurity, which has tripled since 2016.  

Haiti’s food insecurity is a human created crisis worsened by violence, displacement, and inequality, and its impact on families reveals how deeply the country’s stability and future depend on access to safe, reliable nutrition.  

Issues like gender inequality only worsen this food security crisis. in 2022, 87% of households showed that women received a lower food ration than men did. When women go hungry children’s, health is also impacted, and long-term development becomes threatened. In Haiti 277,000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition. Without proper nutrients, it is harder to fight illness, so children in Haiti who are undernourished have a harder time recovering from the course of any illness they might contract. This fuels the cycle of malnutrition that Haiti’s weakened health system can no longer treat.  

This challenge is only worsened among things like political instability, gang violence, and environmental strain. More than 360,000 people in Haiti have been displaced and many rural families are unable to grow or access to nutritious food to promote healthy development. Haiti’s crisis shows that stability is essential for addressing the issue of families and food security and for the nation's social and economic survival.  Until stability is achieved, we must foster compassion and moral care for the people of Haiti who are experiencing severe food shortages.

Thank you for reading. This article is submited by R.I.I.S.E leader Madison Montjoy.

[link Maddi's bio here]