We have been getting asked many questions about the current situation here in Fond Parisien. One of the main questions asked is, “If the gangs are so dangerous and situation is so chaotic, how is Love A Child continuing to operate?”
We are open. We are providing meals to thousands. The Clinic, Birthing Center, Malnutrition Center, schools, churches, Agricultural Training Center (ATC), and every other aspects of Love A Child remains functioning. We are continuing the work of the ministry. But how? How is Love A Child able to do all this when at the same time the nearby gangs are raping, burning, pillaging, stealing, shooting, and murdering?
Love A Child is located in the eastern part of Haiti, very close to the Dominican border. The gangs control the territory to the west. They have taken over large parts of Port-au-Prince, all of Croix-des-Bouquets, and now the nearest town to the west of us, Ganthier. They also control the main road. The only way to get from Port-au-Prince to Love A Child is to pass through this 22-mile gauntlet of violent gangs who steal, kidnap, rape, and murder. It is a lawless zone. They do what they want, whenever they want, without consequence.
But some people risk the drive. Their livelihoods depend on it. The gangs stop every single vehicle at multiple checkpoints along the route 24-hours a day. The only way for a vehicle to pass, is to pay the huge fees assessed by the gangs. If the driver and passengers are lucky, they will pay and gain passage. If not, they could lose whatever cargo they are carrying. They could lose the vehicle, or worse, be killed. These thugs have become very efficient at making huge amounts of cash. It is one of the ways they fund their insatiable appetite for control, death, and destruction. They repay the local population in the currency of constant fear. They are truly terrorists.
The local population in the Fond Parisien area has adapted. There are far fewer trucks willing to attempt to pass to the west. This means fewer opportunities for the gangs to take advantage of them. But the gangs are insatiable and need more money! So, they are advancing systematically toward the east, toward Love A Child. They have been raiding the poor lakeside villages between Ganthier and Love A Child, raping, and murdering people as they go.
When the gangs took Ganthier a few weeks ago, they came from the west, from the direction of Port-au-Prince. About 30,000 people ran for their lives. They ran the only direction they could, toward us. They had to run east. There was no choice. The gangs were behind them indiscriminately, shooting everyone. An enormous lake boxed them in on the north, a massive mountain range on the south. So, they ran east. With no possessions, no food, no help, they ran. The sick, the young, the old, and the ones that could not run are now dead. The stench of death still fills the air to our west.
The gangs keep trying to advance. But this area has shown resolve. They are defending their zone. The people are fighting. They are holding their ground. They must. Love A Child must. The only place to run now is to the Dominican Republic to the east. But the border is shut tight. A massive border wall with razor wire and armed military ensures that no Haitians will pass. So, we are pinched in. We have to hold the line. We must defend.
There are local militia known as the Brigade, a local police force, border police, and some Haitian military, that fight day and night. I cannot give you operational details for security reasons. But they are unified. The area of Fond Parisien is unified.
But these forces are cut off from Port-au-Prince. The gangs control the supply lines from the west. The police outpost on the defensive line receives no aid, no backup. The Brigade valiantly fights without resources. They are the locals. A loss here means everything. Those resisting the gangs are not getting any help from the Haitian government. The Port-au-Prince power brokers have convinced the decision-makers to commit battle resources to other areas. So, we do what we must. We are all they have. Love A Child helps feed them, fuel their vehicles, provides communication, and assists in any way we can. This is our home too.
Love A Child is still functioning because we must. Thousands depend on it. Most of our ministry takes place at the compound here in Fond Parisien, but we also have churches, schools, and feeding programs way up in the mountains directly to the south and east of us. We have not stopped. We are continuing to feed thousands. Moms are birthing babies in our Birthing Center, the Clinic is binding up wounds and ministering to the sick, the ATC is cranking out the produce and teaching the locals how to do the same, malnourished babies on the brink of death are being nursed to health. Life here goes on. The need here did not disappear because the gangs showed up. So, we keep moving. It is all by faith.
Even with the threat of mayhem and death at our Western doorstep, we continue to do what God has called us to do. Love A Child is a source of hope, a city on a hill. The defense efforts require large amounts of diesel. We do not have the funds to continue to fill their tanks. The indescribable need here has always been great, the situation desperate. But now things are at a fever pitch. We are in the thick of it. We are committed. The Bible tells us, “…having done all to stand, stand therefore.” Know this, Love A Child will stand. God gave us this ground. Hell cannot have it.
The reality is we need your help! We need your support! There is no one underwriting these new mammoth expenses. We operate by faith. Please continue to pray. Please continue to give. We serve a big God. He is our Protector. He is our Provider. Thank you for standing with us! Without you, this would not be possible.
Jesse Ostrander