Port-au-Prince (EFE).- At least 4.9 million people suffer from food insecurity in Haitialmost half the population, and more than 100,000 children under the age of 5 are “severely malnourished,” said the NGO Plan International on Monday.
The organization indicated in a statement that in the depressed country 19,200 people are in a catastrophic situation of phase 5 of the price index of the consumer (IPC) «for the first time in history».
Phase 5 of the CPI is the highest on the scale of acute food insecurity, attributed when at least 20% of households and 30% of children face acute malnutrition due to lack of food, he explained.
“The emergency humanitarian aid in Haiti has worsened in recent weeks due to gang violence, civil unrest and poor economic conditions due to a lack of employment opportunities,” the entity noted.
In this context, he added, this has generated an increase in food insecurity, with unsupplied markets and food that does not reach homes due to the lack of gasoline caused by the blockades on the main avenues that connect with Port-au-Prince.
Plan International revealed that this Monday it contacted Jesula, a pregnant woman living in the Southeast department of Haiti, mother of a 7-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, who has been diagnosed with anemia due to her poor diet.
Jesula explained that the three main problems that currently affect her family are the lack of access to the health and education systems and poor nutrition, and stated that in the hospital they have told her that if she does not overcome the anemia, she may be left invalid at birth.
According to Plan International’s 2022 Rapid Gender Analysis carried out in the Southeast department, girls, pregnant women, nursing mothers, babies and the elderly continue to be the most vulnerable groups in the face of the effects of the coronavirus crisis. Hunger and its repercussions on health and education.
The interim director of Plan International in Haiti, Daphne de Bordes, affirmed that the current hunger crisis has drastic consequences for the future of Haitian girls.
“The crisis in Haiti is depriving girls of their right to protection and education. In the midst of so many emergencies affecting the entire world, it is important not to overlook Haiti, especially for girls who are at risk from violence, hunger and lack of basic health services,” she said. . EFE
