Introduction: A Crisis Within a Crisis
In 2025, Haiti is teetering on the edge of collapse. International headlines chronicle the country’s descent into violence: gang control, political vacuum, humanitarian collapse. But underneath these headlines lies an even deeper tragedy — one that doesn’t fit easily into breaking news cycles: Haitians living with disabilities are not only suffering, they are dying in silence.
At Healing Hands for Haiti, we see firsthand how inaccessible infrastructure, extreme poverty, and now unchecked violence have created a life-or-death scenario for the disabled community. When a neighborhood is attacked by gangs and residents are forced to flee, what happens to those who cannot run? Those in wheelchairs, on crutches, or recovering from surgeries are too often left behind — forgotten by society, invisible in statistics, and exposed to the worst of the crisis.
Haiti’s Violent Spiral: What the Numbers Reveal
According to the United Nations, more than 5,000 people were killed in gang-related violence in Haiti in the first three months of 2024 alone — a figure that more than doubled compared to the previous year. The trajectory of the numbers in early 2025 points toward an even higher death toll than the previous year, as violence continues to escalate and humanitarian conditions worsen, according to organizations like Human Rights Watch and the United Nations. Gangs have seized control of the majority of Port-au-Prince, leaving less than 10% of the city under government authority. Armed groups regularly carry out kidnappings, extortion, rape, and murder.
Hospitals and health centers have been shut down, looted, or taken over by these gangs. Aid routes have been blocked. Medical supplies and food shipments are often intercepted. Public transportation has collapsed. With streets rendered impassable by gunfire and barricades, movement in many parts of the capital is nearly impossible.
And while this is devastating for all Haitians, it is catastrophic for those with disabilities.
Disability in Haiti: A Landscape of Exclusion
Even before the rise in violence, life for Haitians with disabilities was marked by exclusion and hardship. Inaccessible public spaces, limited health infrastructure, and social stigma have long defined the disabled experience.
Less than 10% of Haitians with disabilities have access to any form of rehabilitation services.
There are no enforceable building codes requiring wheelchair access or accommodations.
Public transportation is unsafe and physically inaccessible.
Mobility aids like crutches, walkers, and prosthetics are prohibitively expensive or unavailable.
Many in Haitian society still view disability as a form of spiritual punishment or shame.
This context means that many Haitians with physical disabilities are confined to their homes, often dependent on family members for basic needs. Employment opportunities are few, and education is often inaccessible. The physical, emotional, and financial burdens are immense.
Now add daily gang violence to that equation.
When Violence Strikes, the Disabled Are Left Behind
In many neighborhoods, violent attacks happen without warning. People run for their lives. Families scatter. But for someone recovering from surgery, or a child with cerebral palsy, escape is not an option.
There are increasing reports of disabled individuals being abandoned during these emergencies. Some are later found dead. Others are never found at all. In several heartbreaking cases, NGO workers have reported that individuals who could not flee were directly targeted and killed by gang members.
This is the reality: in Haiti today, to be disabled is to be exceptionally vulnerable. And in many cases, that vulnerability is fatal.
Hope Amid Ruins: Our Staff Keep Showing Up
While the nation buckles under pressure, Healing Hands for Haiti has remained a lifeline. And yet, even our staff are not immune to the devastation.
Many of our employees have lost their homes, possessions, and communities. Some now sleep in our clinics or nearby shelters, continuing to care for others despite having nothing left themselves.
One of our team members, who must remain anonymous for their safety, shared this:
“It’s not easy, the situation I’m currently experiencing. I had to leave my neighborhood and my house which was threatened by armed gangs. Finally, 2 weeks ago, armed gangs invaded my neighborhood, they looted my house, they stole everything — my car, my furniture, my beds, everything. They left me nothing…my house is bare now. All the people in the neighborhood fled…I lost my home forever.”
Still, this staff member continues their work at the clinic every day, fitting prosthetics, helping patients regain strength, and showing that resilience is not just possible — it’s necessary.
These aren’t just employees. They are heroes.
Why Mobility Matters More Than Ever
In this environment, a brace, a walker, or a prosthetic limb can mean the difference between life and death. Mobility is freedom. It’s safety. It’s a future.
That’s why our work matters so deeply. We are helping children learn to walk again, we’re giving adults the ability to return to work and support their families and we are treating pressure wounds, rebuilding limbs, and restoring dignity — even as the country around us crumbles.
Through community-based rehabilitation and Haitian-led clinical teams, we ensure that our services are culturally competent and locally rooted. We’re not importing solutions. We’re building them with the Haitian people.
What We Need Now: A Call for Action
The need is greater than ever. We are facing:
A growing number of internally displaced people with disabilities.
Shortages of critical medical and rehab supplies.
Mounting safety threats to our clinics and teams.
And yet, hope is not lost. With your support, we can:
Expand mobile outreach units to reach more patients in crisis zones.
Provide emergency shelter and support for our staff and patients.
Train more Haitian clinicians in physical therapy, prosthetics, and trauma care.
Here’s How You Can Help
Donate: Support the suffering in need
Share: Amplify this story. Awareness is power.
Conclusion: Their Fight Is Our Fight
In Haiti, disability should not be a death sentence. And violence should not erase a person’s right to dignity, independence, and hope.
We stand with the invisible casualties. We fight for their future. Because we know that healing is still possible — even in the hardest places.
**Join us and stand with Healing Hands for Haiti.
References
[1] United Nations. (2024, April 10). Haiti: Over 5,000 killed in first quarter of 2024 amid ‘cataclysmic’ gang violence. https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148666
[2] Human Rights Watch. (2025, April 17). Haiti: Escalating violence puts population at grave risk. https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/04/17/haiti-escalating-violence-puts-population-grave-risk
[3] Amnesty International. (2025, February 12). Amnesty International details gruesome impact of gang violence on children in Haiti. https://apnews.com/article/494d0a608783fbf5c9ca3fc1e2a83245
[4] The Guardian. (2025, May 2). US designates two powerful Haitian gangs as terrorist groups. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/02/haiti-gangs-terrorist-groups-us
[5] United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2025, April). Restoring dignity: A global call to end the violence in Haiti. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2025/04/restoring-dignity-global-call-end-violence-haiti
[6] EDID-GHDI. (2025, March). Haiti – Engendering Disability-Inclusive Development. https://edid-ghdi.ca/en/countries/haiti/
