Enduring violence, reclaiming hope in Haiti

The streets of Port-au-Prince have not felt normal for a long time.

For millions of families across Haiti, daily life is shaped by instability, fear, and constant uncertainty. Yet even amid deep loss and upheaval, hope is being reclaimed.

As of February 2026:

• An estimated 6.4 million people need humanitarian assistance.
• Among them are 2.8 million children.
• More than 1.45 million people displaced from their homes by escalating violence.

For women, girls, and children, the risks do not end once they reach relative safety.

When displacement deepens vulnerability

Across host communities and displacement sites, protection remains a critical concern.

Sexual and gender‑based violence (SGBV) has risen sharply. In 2025 alone, an estimated 1.5 million women and girls required urgent SGBV-related services. Yet reporting pathways and life‑saving support remain dangerously limited.

Most survivors live in displacement sites where privacy is scarce, and safety measures are inadequate. Overcrowding, poor lighting, and limited access to toilets heighten the risk of violence, especially for women and girls.

Sexual violence, psychological distress, and chronic fear have become part of daily life.

Only a small number of sites have access to SGBV services, and few survivors can receive medical care within the critical 72‑hour window after an assault. Shortage of medical supplies and trained personnel further restrict access to support, leaving many survivors to cope in silence.

Hope often feels beyond grasp.

Invisible scars for children

For children, violence leaves scars that are not always visible. The crisis has left 1.3 million children in need of child protection assistance.

Many have witnessed or experienced:

• Extreme violence
• Losing loved ones
• Being uprooted multiple times.

Children also face:

• Family separation
• Growing risks of trafficking and recruitment into armed gangs

Caregivers, themselves under immense stress, struggle to protect and support their children while coping with their own trauma.

School closures have disrupted learning for thousands of students. Without safe learning spaces, children face increased risks of neglect, exploitation, and abuse.

A signal of hope

For survivors of violence, seeking help and restoring hope often means confronting stigma, fear, and silence.

The Haiti Violence and Displacement Crisis Project*, funded by the Government of Canada, is working alongside local partners to change that reality by strengthening protection systems and improving access to survivor‑centred support for women, girls, and children.

By January 2026, 990 displaced people across Port‑au‑Prince and La Gonâve had received mental health and psychosocial support through individual and group sessions led by psychologists and trained volunteers.

Children have learned how to identify and express their emotions. Adults have found a safe space to speak about their experiences. Families displaced from Archaïe, one of the areas hardest hit by violence, have begun slowly imagining what hope and healing could look like.

"The weight on my shoulders has lifted"

Marie**, a 45‑year‑old mother of five, now lives in a displacement camp after surviving brutal sexual violence. Her husband was killed the same day she was attacked.

Suddenly widowed and displaced, she carried her trauma alone and was unable to send her children to school. Through World Vision Haiti, Marie received individual psychosocial counselling.

• “The way the counsellor spoke during the session sparked a kind of change within me”, she said. “And talking things through also helped me a lot. I couldn’t bring myself to talk about these issues with just anyone. Right now, I feel like the weight on my shoulders has lifted. I feel relieved. I really appreciated the therapeutic work”.

For Marie, hope did not arrive all at once. It began with being heard, believed, and supported.

Restoring dignity, strengthening communities

The project has also distributed 150 dignity kits to women and girls in displacement sites and host communities. Each kit, containing essential hygiene items and emergency contraception, represents care, dignity, and recognition.

In schools:

• 152 teachers were trained to recognize signs of trauma and respond with compassion and confidence.
• Over 110 students received psychosocial support through child‑friendly spaces, helping restore a sense of normalcy and safety.

Community awareness campaigns reached over 3,500 leaders and members, promoting positive parenting, child protection, and safe reporting of violence. Local child protection groups received training to strengthen community‑based referral systems, ensuring support remains accessible even as needs grow.

To reinforce the wider protection network, 55 frontline workers in Haiti received training on updated international survivor‑care guidelines, helping build a more coordinated, capable response.

These efforts are rebuilding trust and instilling hope in communities, renewing the belief that protection and dignity are possible amidst crisis.

"They will not take my soul"

Mickaëlle**, a 24‑year‑old survivor of gang‑related sexual violence, is now a public advocate against GBV. With psychosocial support and solidarity from other survivors, she has begun rebuilding her life and inspiring others to seek help.

• “They took my body,” she says. “But they will not take my soul.”

In a country enduring prolonged conflict and repeated displacement, survivors like Marie, Mickaëlle, and countless others are reclaiming hope in Haiti.

With protection, solidarity, and care, healing and dignity can prevail amidst enduring violence.

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*The Haiti Violence and Displacement Crisis project is implemented by World Vision Haiti and World Vision Canada , with funding from the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada. It operates in the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince (Delmas, Pétion-Ville, Tabarre, Carrefour-Feuilles, Croix-des-Bouquets) and on La Gonâve island, Central Plateau (Boucan Carre, Hinche and Thomonde), Haiti. Project period: January 2025 – March 2027.

** Names have been changed to protect the identities of participants.