Welcome to the Haiti EcoVillage School Partnership website.
Haiti’s Escalating Violence Moves Towards our School
A trip to visit the EcoVillages of Haiti begins with a drive from Port-au-Prince up Goat Mountain, through the bustling city of Mirebalais, and into the Central Plateau. Mirebalais is a town about 35 miles south of Hinche and home to the country’s main teaching hospital after the 2010 earthquake. On 31 March, heavily armed gangs stormed Mirebalais, attacking the police station and freeing more than 500 prisoners. This marked a dramatic shift: gangs, which already control 85% of Port-au-Prince, expanded into previously safe towns in the interior. The attack forced thousands to flee, with many families seeking refuge in Hinche and other nearby towns. According to the United Nations, over 51,000 people are newly displaced by this violence in the Central Department alone. In Hinche, more than 7,500 internally displaced persons are housed in precarious conditions, often without adequate access to basic services.
Gangs are still in the town of Mirebalais but are unable to advance thanks to law enforcement and a portion of the population that remains to defend the town. In the meantime, people are flooding into Hinche to escape the violence and are putting stress on housing, food and other resources in the city. Our EcoVillage School is five miles beyond Hinche.
The school remains open. Students continue to learn.
However, the fear and uncertainty are real for everyone in the community. Most of our teachers live in Hinche. Folks who have family connections in the EcoVillages have moved there to have a more normal life. They send their children to the EcoVillage School where the enrollment continues to swell to over 430 students.
Teachers and students ask for your prayers and support as they hope for peace and a return to normalcy.
We continue our commitment to stand with our community through this difficult time. Your continued support is vital--not just for our school, but for the hope it represents to the children and families of Haiti’s Central Plateau.
Henri Survived
And he is sharing his story with us “…Even if you want to escape, you have to go through thorny paths where you’ll get pricked. You can't escape with anything; if they see you escaping with something, they will kill you or pressure you. When you flee your home and if you want to return, you have to pay the gangs. The situation is really difficult; nothing can function…”
Hear more of Henri’s story here.