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Ships of Refugees

Dear Friends,

It is important today that I update you all on an intensifying situation currently unfolding on the island of La Gonave.

Over the past several days, thousands of refugees, fleeing the dangers of gangs on Haiti’s mainland, have been arriving at the wharf in Anse-a-Galets. Most have no plans for where they will go or how they will survive. Food on the island is already scarce, with food insecurity, at baseline, falling into the “emergency” category.

The response to this situation is going to be complicated and difficult. Haiti’s government has failed, with shipping ports either closed or under gang influence. Main road arteries are controlled by gangs, and the UN response has been ineffective. The UN helicopter, my only way of getting to and from the island this past year, came under gunfire last week (and was hit), which has grounded it. La Gonave’s dirt strip runway cannot accommodate large cargo aircraft, and gangs have even been intercepting boats carrying food supplies to the island.

I’m working hard to gather more information and will bring updates as they come in. For now, suffice it to say that things likely will worsen as more people flee to the island. Suffice it also to say that the problem is bigger than Starfysh. This is a catastrophic, God-sized problem.

Please pray with me for those who suffer on the island, for wisdom as to how we might respond, and that God would make a way.

Steve Edmondson
Founder & President, Starfysh