Haiti, Hunger, and COVID-19

Francisco Guzmán

Pray for Haiti. Imagine what could happen if COVID-19 hits with full force, considering that after almost a month since Haiti encountered the pandemic of COVID-19, prices for basic needs have been increasing and the dollar has been significantly depreciating in value. 

Mothers and fathers express their concern over this situation, stating that the Haitian population cannot be confined at home and at the same time deal with hunger and basic food needs as their purchasing power has been greatly diminished. 

One Haitian dollar is the equivalent of five Haitian gourdes. To give an idea for the prices of the commodities in the food basket: a pot of black beans is sold at 650 gourdes; a pot of local rice varies from 450 to 500 gourdes; a gallon of Mazola oil is sold for 750 gourdes; a can of ground Alberto corn costs 375 gourdes and for the local corn it costs 250 gourdes.

This information is from a report published in December 2019. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that at the end of that year the number of Haitians who were living with food insecurity was more than 3.7 million and predicted that 4.6 million could go hungry in March 2020. 

According to the report, out of the 3.7 million, 2.6 million suffered from “acute malnutrition and severe acute malnutrition”. The worst part is that the UN emphasizes that out of the 2.6 million Haitians that suffer from acute malnutrition, 1.046 million are living in rural and urban areas and are found in a humanitarian emergency. 

Therefore, it does not take a genius to realize that Haiti is not very far from this prediction made by the OCHA. On top of all of this, there is a shortage of water in the Haitian capital where citizens impatiently wait for rain. 

Hands need to be washed regularly, the Minister of Public and Community Health (MSPP as its Spanish acronym) from Haiti reminds people. Despite this, the National Department of Water and Sanitation (DINEPA as its Spanish acronym) seems to forget this hygienic regulation. 

Eyes are still fixed on the Chief of State, Jovenel Moïse, to alleviate this situation. 

If our Christian life is eternal and we are living for a time on earth, we must raise our lowered hands and move our stagnant knees in order to accomplish the tasks we may be able to do during this short time, before we cross the gateways where our time and eternity connect. Let us not work merely for the food that perishes, but for that which endures to everlasting life. 

Lord! Enable me to live the life of fervent love, faith, and holiness on the path that my Lord Jesus Christ walked, so that I may serve as a light of the gospel for those that wander through the dark and winding paths of the world, on their way to an eternal hell. 

Let us pray for the salvation of our family members, neighbors, and friends and plead for their conversion.