The worsening crisis is marked by rising insecurity, growing protection needs, mass displacement, shocking levels of gender-based violence (GBV), and a challenging operating environment for the UN and its partners.
Families, not numbers
OCHA is sounding the alarm More than half of the Haitian population, 6.4 million people, now need humanitarian assistance..
Some 5.7 million are hungry, families are skipping meals and children are even dropping out of school to help support their households, while 1.5 million people (12 percent of the population) are displaced.
“These are not abstract figures,” he said. “These represent uprooted families, displaced families; Separated children, many of whom have lost the homes they knew..”
Violence and vermin
Ms. Wosurnu, Director of OCHA’s Crisis Response Division, was in Haiti from March 16 to 20 and “the situation has changed significantly” since her last mission two years ago.
He traveled to the capital, Port-au-Prince, which is 90 percent controlled by gangs, and to other places such as the Central Department, where a recent wave of violence left about 80 people dead and forced 13,000 to flee.
The veteran humanitarian visited crowded displacement sites, including a school that normally houses 400 students but now houses about 2,800 people.
“They described that at night vermin, cockroaches, rashes came out on the children’s skin,” he said. “The same ground I walked on was the same place where people slept at night.”
Across Haiti, 1,600 schools remain closed due to insecurity in a country that values education.
“The school means a lot to the people of Haiti,” he said. “So, 1,600 schools closed and 250,000 children without education, it is a big problem.”
Edem Wosornu, director of OCHA’s Crisis Response Division, looks at a poster for a gender-based violence awareness campaign.
Protect women and girls
The plight of women and girls is “particularly horrendous” and represents a protection crisis.
“Last year, 8,100 survivors of gender violence were counted – a 25 percent increase over the previous year. Half of the reported cases involved rape,” he said.
At one location he met a 16-year-old girl and her three-month-old baby, and described them as “a child carrying a child.” The teenager had been displaced, without knowing where her parents and siblings were. A man offered to take care of her but instead he abused her.
The girl embodies another harsh statistic, as One in six survivors of gender violence is under 18 years of age.. Ms. Wosornu also spoke with women whose “glassy eyes” reflect their trauma.
However, only 30 percent of survivors receive medical assistance or psychological support within the critical 72 hours after sexual violence due to a lack of humanitarian funding for gender-based violence.
Delivery commitment
Amid the devastation in Haiti, the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to help the population. The relief teams include national staff, many of whom are displaced and threatened, but remain committed to their work.
“Sometimes they negotiate with the same armed actors we are talking about.providing assistance in areas that are extremely difficult to reach,” he said.
Humanitarian agencies are seeking $880 million to support 4.2 million people in Haiti this year amid continuing cuts to foreign aid. To date, less than 20 percent has been received.
Haiti can’t wait
Ms. Wosornu concluded her remarks by making three requests “because the people of Haiti cannot wait.”
He called for an end to the violence, continued support for humanitarian operations while “aid is collapsing” and political solutions to end the crisis.
“We must be honest. Humanitarian assistance alone cannot change the destiny of the people of Haiti or the trajectory of Haiti,” he said.
“Sustained investment in essential services can create solutions for people. Haiti’s courage, undeniable. Our support, always much needed.”
Edem Wosornu (second right), director of OCHA’s Crisis Response Division, on her visit to Haiti in March 2026.