Haiti: UN Supports Access to Education Amid Impact of Violence
Haitian School with the members of the UN, July 2024 Photo: @EduCannotWait
July 31, 2024 Hour: 4:38 pm
39 schools in the West department are now hosting displaced people, while 20 others are occupied by armed groups and gangs.
On Wednesday, the United Nations (UN) announced the disbursement of 2.5 million dollars to support schooling efforts in the West and Antibonite departments, the most affected by the violence in Haiti.
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“We are concerned about the impact of the persistent insecurity on access to education, as the school year is scheduled to start in September,” Stéphane Dujaric, spokesman for the secretary general (António Guterres), told reporters.
The violence in these regions is keeping more than 900 schools closed, affecting 156,000 young people, he said.
According to the spokesman, 39 schools in the West department are now hosting displaced people, while 20 others are occupied by armed groups and gangs.
Education cannot wait, said Dujarric, confirming the allocation of the UN fund for education in emergencies and crises.
According to figures from the United Nations Integrated Office in the country, in the first six months of the year the death toll from the expansion of armed gangs rose to almost 3,900.
Most of the killings and injuries occurred in Port-au-Prince and Artibonite, while the international community awaits the full deployment of the Multinational Mission for the Security of Haiti, which only has several hundred Kenyan soldiers.
Between April and June alone, another 428 people were kidnapped for ransom by these groups.
Amid massive displacement and increasing food insecurity, the UN humanitarian response is underfunded for the crisis.
According to the agency, its Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 is barely a quarter of the $674 million needed to support the country.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: DW-Africanews
