How the National Food Crisis in Haiti Affects Local Communities

Bohoc Market in good times

The drought of 2014 became more severe in 2015 due to El Nino weather patterns, and rapidly rising inflation has added to the problem. EC Assistant Derold Mompremier shared his observations about how communities close to HAFF are being affected.
 
    “This national economic crisis is affecting absolutely everything locally. The Haitian gourde is deflating compared to the American dollar each day, even though salaries of working people remain the same. People talk about ‘getting paid in gourdes but buying in dollars’ [even though American currency is not used locally.]”

Bohoc Market in hard times

Derold went on to explain that although people can still find all the usual products, the price has gone up on almost everything, especially products grown in-country. The price of sugar is up by 50% and the price of beans by 150%. Imported products are not as high – cooking oil went up 20% and rice went up 30%. Foods that people can still afford to buy are those that were less susceptible to drought – millet, sweet potatoes and other root crops. Only the price of gasoline has not yet gone up, so the motorcycle taxi and truck transportation prices have not gone up locally. The cost of buying a motorcycle however, has gone up almost 50%.

Rusty hair - first sign of protein deficiency

Derold continued, “In our local Bohoc market (photo at left), ¼ of the merchants are no longer selling because they just can’t afford the risk. The small shops and micro-businesses [in people’s yards] have also been hurt, but have adjusted by raising their prices and carrying less merchandise. One construction supply business owner no longer keeps products like cement, roofing steel and re-bar on hand. Now he only orders products for people he knows will pay for them.”

     “A lot of people complain because they can’t eat and can’t find work to make money. Many school students have been obliged to quit in the middle of the year because families can’t buy food, let alone pay for the school tuition they already owe. A teacher at IPB says that at the weekend university he attends, many college students have also left before taking first quarter tests due to lack of finances.”

     “ In the first grade where my wife teaches, there are two children that sleep in class almost from the moment they come in because they don’t have anything in their stomachs. Sometimes she takes her break time and goes to the school kitchen to get a bit of food for some of the children who can’t last until lunch time. Other times she brings cookies to perk up the children.”

    Derold concluded his report with the following observation: “Even though many Haitians are very generous, in these times it is only the true Christians who will give people food when they come asking for it.”