Echo Becomes A Financial Roar

The turmoil that has characterized Haiti for some time has largely focused around Port Au Prince and in the southern part of the country. Violence in the forms of shootings, robberies, kidnappings, street barricades and lawlessness being commonplace. Other areas of Haiti have been impacted by the violence with interruptions to the delivery of essential services by the government and goods and services from the marketplace. We’ve generally regarded these interruptions as the “Echo Effect.”

The Echo Effect has arrived at the doorstep of COHH in the form of a financial roar. Port Au Prince remains the primary source of school and other supplies needed in other parts of the country. In order to get those supplies, the vendors are encountering road blocks where vigilante “tolls” are required to be paid to travel on the road. The vendors are not only passing that cost along to their customers, but also adding “a little something” for themselves.  As result, COHH has experienced significant increases in its operating expenses. For example, a recent purchase of school supplies was 42% higher in May 2024 than the cost for essentially the same supplies a year ago! There is no reason to expect the prices to go down any time soon, if at all.

While our recent installation of a solar system has helped tremendously to lower our cost of electricity, we do not have a readily available solution to reduce the cost of goods and services besides making appeals to donors for financial support. This year, we are celebrating our 20^th anniversary in Haiti. Our longevity in Haiti is due solely to the support received from donors that believe in our mission. We remain forever grateful and hopeful for donor support to achieve our mission.