Haiti: HI helps residents recover from physical and psychological injuries

In Port-au-Prince, 2 million people need help. HI provides emergency care to the injured, displaced and people with disabilities.

Civilians trapped by violence

For several years, Haiti has been experiencing a serious political, economic, health, social and humanitarian crisis. Gangs, which are very active in Port-au-Prince - the capital, where they control nearly 90% of the territory1 - commit numerous acts of violence and abuse against civilians.

Faced with kidnappings, sexual violence and murders, many Haitians have no choice but to flee. As a result, 12%2 of the country's population is displaced and living in extremely precarious conditions. Most have found refuge in makeshift shelters made of tarpaulins and sheet metal, often set up in schools or administrative buildings that are not equipped to accommodate so many people on a long-term basis.

"I used to live in the Solino neighbourhood, I had a business and I was getting by. But then the war came, the bandits set fire to everything and burned it all down. Since that day, we no longer have a home, I can no longer work and my children no longer go to school. Where we live today, some people are beaten violently. None of this would have happened if we had been able to stay in our homes," says Eugénie Laventure, who arrived at the KID displacement site with her four children in November 2025.

Enormous needs in a devastated country

In a country where 4.9 million people are in need of urgent medical assistance, only 10% of hospitals are currently fully operational3. Healthcare facilities are severely inadequate to meet the needs: gunshot wounds, fractures, open wounds - not to mention chronic diseases that can no longer be treated due to a lack of resources or equipment.

The extremely precarious living conditions of displaced persons, with limited access to drinking water, inadequate sanitation and hygiene facilities, living in close quarters and in total destitution, increase the risks and aggravate certain diseases.

"The patient we treated this morning was a man who had his right thigh amputated after being shot in the leg. It's not an easy situation, because when you lose a leg, you also lose a large part of your mobility and your living conditions are likely to deteriorate - so imagine what it's like in a context where you no longer have a home, a job or medical support,"says Paulin Stanley, a physiotherapist at HI.

HI alongside people with disabilities

In these conditions, many people with disabilities face additional difficulties, for example in getting around or accessing humanitarian aid.

"I have a disability, I can't work, and sometimes people choose to humiliate me. What's more, it's very difficult to get food on site. There is a lot of pushing and shoving and disorder; during distributions, your bowl can get broken, and sometimes you don't get anything to eat. Personally, I have no choice but to resign myself to it,"explains Wadson Augustin, who lives in the Ministère de Communication II displacement site, located in a former public building.

To provide specific assistance to people with disabilities, HI deploys mobile teams of physiotherapists and occupational therapists who visit displacement sites to meet the needs of residents. Every day, the teams unload and set up their equipment, squeezing into a small space between mattresses, drying clothes and personal belongings. They repeat this process two or three times a week at each of the five sites where HI works to provide regular follow-up care for patients.

"Some days, we organise therapeutic education sessions to explain to patients their condition and what they can do to help themselves. We teach them exercises they can do on their own so that when the security situation prevents us from visiting, they can continue their rehabilitation exercises independently," explains Stéphania Saint-Val, a physiotherapist at HI.

HI teams also train patients in the use of crutches, walking sticks or wheelchairs that they provide.

"Today, I took care of a lady who is hemiplegic. She had difficulty performing activities such as washing, brushing her teeth and combing her hair. But thanks to the exercises, she can now do everything on her own," says Gaelle Charles, an occupational therapist at HI.

Physical care and mental health: comprehensive support

Many residents of Port-au-Prince suffer the negative consequences of constant stress and traumatic events inflicted by gangs. The situation is particularly alarming for children and women; 94% of Haitian women and girls⁴ are at risk of gender-based and sexual violence.

Aware that healing physical wounds also requires addressing psychological and emotional wounds, HI provides listening and counselling sessions during its interventions. In addition, the organisation's teams refer people who need specialised psychological support and survivors of violence to the appropriate services, while also providing them with care. These individuals receive psychological and medical support, as well as safe emergency accommodation. HI also distributes dignity kits or hygiene kits, including sanitary towels, lamps, soap, clothing, etc., and supports community members in organising awareness-raising sessions aimed at preventing violence on the sites.

Finally, HI teams plan to step up their efforts by soon rolling out psychosocial support and mental health care for patients who need it, to help them understand and reduce distress and sources of stress and strengthen community ties.

The Urgence en Réadaptation POst-Traumatique (URPOST) project is being rolled out at five sites for displaced persons in Port-au-Prince. Its aim is to improve access to care and rehabilitation for patients, to reduce the suffering and side effects of injuries and prevent any form of long-term disability, as well as to reduce the after-effects of trauma for survivors of gender-based and sexual violence. Launched in August 2024, the project has already provided support to more than 1,500 patients undergoing rehabilitation, 152 of whom have received mobility aids (crutches, walking sticks, wheelchairs, etc.). In addition, 95 survivors of violence have benefited from protection services and 41 dignity kits have been distributed. HI has also provided training for other humanitarian actors to encourage them to take women and girls with disabilities into account in their responses.

1. France Info October 2025

2. UN Info January 2026

3. Idem

4. UNFPA August 2024