Haiti in 2025: A Year of Crisis, Courage, and Perseverance

Throughout 2025, Haiti continued to face severe violence, political instability, hunger, displacement, and disruption to schools, hospitals, businesses, and transportation. The crisis remained most serious in Port-au-Prince, where armed groups controlled large areas and continued attacking communities and major transportation routes. Violence also spread into other parts of the country, forcing more families to leave their homes in search of safety.

By the end of 2025, approximately 1.45 million people were internally displaced. Most were living outside the capital, often with relatives, friends, churches, or host families rather than in formal shelters.

This placed additional pressure on communities that were already struggling. Families that had limited food and income were suddenly supporting displaced relatives. Schools received additional children, housing became more crowded, and local churches and charitable organizations were asked to meet growing needs.

Hunger and Education

Hunger remained one of Haiti’s greatest challenges during 2025. Approximately 5.7 million people—more than half of the country’s population—faced serious food insecurity. Violence and blocked transportation routes increased the cost of moving food, fuel, and supplies throughout the country. Even in areas where markets remained open, many families could not afford basic items such as rice, beans, cooking oil, and flour.

Children were especially affected. Hundreds of thousands were displaced, and many schools closed because of violence, threats, or the use of school buildings as temporary shelters.

For a child in Haiti, attending school can provide much more than an education. Schools often provide food, supervision, safety, structure, and hope. When schools close or families cannot afford tuition, uniforms, transportation, or meals, children become more vulnerable to hunger, exploitation, and permanent separation from education.

Cap-Haïtien and Northern Haiti

Cap-Haïtien and much of northern Haiti remained more stable than Port-au-Prince during 2025. Schools, churches, markets, and businesses continued operating, and Cap-Haïtien remained an important center for transportation, education, commerce, and health care. However, northern Haiti was not isolated from the national crisis.

The number of displaced people living in the greater northern region increased significantly during the year. Many families arrived after fleeing violence elsewhere in the country and needed food, housing, employment, health care, and places for their children in school. The northern region also received large numbers of Haitians returned from the Dominican Republic. Many entered through Ouanaminthe with little money, few belongings, and no secure place to live. Local families and organizations were called upon to help provide food, transportation, temporary shelter, and other assistance.

Tourism also suffered. Cruise visits to Labadee were suspended in April 2025 because of concerns about Haiti’s overall security situation. Although Labadee and Cap-Haïtien remained comparatively calm, the loss of cruise visitors reduced income for workers, vendors, drivers, craftspeople, guides, and families who depended on tourism.

Why Local Partnerships Matter

The events of 2025 demonstrated the importance of trusted local schools, churches, orphanages, teachers, and community leaders. These organizations often know which families have no food, which children have stopped attending school, and which households have taken in displaced relatives. They are able to respond quickly and provide practical assistance within their own communities.

For Hearts for the Hungry, food support does more than provide a meal for one day. It can help keep a child in school, allow a teacher or caregiver to continue working, support a family caring for displaced relatives, and help a local organization remain open during a national crisis.

Haiti Continues to Endure

The challenges Haiti faced in 2025 were overwhelming. Millions experienced hunger, more than a million people were displaced, and many children lost access to regular education. Yet the people of Haiti continued to demonstrate courage and perseverance. Teachers continued teaching. Churches continued serving. Families welcomed displaced relatives. Local leaders continued purchasing and distributing food. Parents continued making sacrifices so their children could learn.

In Cap-Haïtien and throughout northern Haiti, people continued working, worshiping, caring for one another, and trusting God through extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Hearts for the Hungry remains grateful for every donor, volunteer, church, business, and Haitian partner who helped us stand beside the people of Haiti throughout 2025.