Families fled home country due to ongoing political crisis.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (Sept 17, 2024) Top of Form More than 9,700 Haitian refugees and their families, who fled their home country due to the ongoing political crises and settled in the community of Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic, have received meals to support their nutritional needs. The meals were provided through a partnership between Rise Against Hunger, an international humanitarian organization growing a global movement to end hunger, and Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Daughters of Mary Help of Christians distributed the meals to families in need during the first half of 2024.

Most of the recipients work in construction or engage in maintenance work at a Salesian school. Many workers are undocumented and live in isolated places with their families in small, rented houses. They are not always paid fairly and have few labor benefits due to their migration status.

A Salesian explained, “The socio-political situation in Haiti continues to be a major difficulty, as workers are often exposed to unfair treatment, the risk of deportation and living in precarious conditions because they have entered the country illegally. The distribution of food helps to reduce some of these dangers. Some of them are very shy, and they show fear when you first interact with them and can resist help. However, the help they received has made them feel welcomed and has allowed them to integrate better into the life of the community and open up.”

Widenson Etinne, age 20, is one of the people who received the meals. He lives in a community with small homes built with recycled materials that are fragile, weak and unsafe. He fled Haiti for the safety of his family but faces other challenges in the Dominican Republic.

Etinne explained, “It is not easy for us to live in the Dominican Republic. We have had to leave our country running for fear of starving to death at the hands of the war that is going on. Here we have dealt with hunger and all kinds of necessities, and our families have suffered as well. When we finally managed to find a job doing construction work and working on the school, many things have improved, not only because we feel a little more secure and safe but also because we receive these meals that are so important to our nutrition.”

He added, “These meals taste very good and give us a lot of strength. We eat it with a lot of pleasure, knowing it is very good for our health because of the nutrients. We know how to prepare meals in many ways, using different recipes and adding different spices. My wife and son are also enjoying the meals. It gives us the strength to continue to work and live a better life.”

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