Haiti: caring for women trapped between violence and poverty

Since 2022, the commune of Cité Soleil has been the scene of violent clashes between rival armed groups. For several years, the Brooklyn neighborhood, controlled by one of these groups, remained surrounded by fighting. Its residents lived under the constant threat of crossfire and could not move freely without risking their lives.

Since July 2022, MSF has been the only humanitarian organisation present daily in Brooklyn. Teams support the Sainte-Marie Health Center and also refer survivors of sexual violence to the MSF hospital in Cité Soleil.

In February 2024, the groups ceased hostilities and lifted some roadblocks. However, extreme violence persists in the area. Murders, assaults, kidnappings, sexual violence, movement restrictions, and destruction continue to shape the daily lives of the approximately 300,000 residents of the slum.

Facilitating access to healthcare for women in danger

Insecurity has reached such a level that essential services, including public hospitals, have been forced to close. MSF teams, working to improve access to care for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Port-au-Prince, are witnessing a higher number of patients than ever before.

Dr. Odans El Mondo, an MSF doctor, works in the only health center in the neighborhood:

Imagine a community with no functional hospital. When there are clashes, we have to transform into an emergency room. The needs are immense, and the population has nowhere else to go," says the doctor.