Healing in Haiti
Our program in Haiti is one of the world’s largest, most effective programs for psychological trauma-relief and resiliency-building. Developed in response to the 2010 earthquake that killed over 200,000 Haitians, our program models how to work through the traumatic aftermath of natural disaster. Since 2010, we’ve shared our model with over 250,000 children, teens, and adults, and have expanded our much-needed work due to worsening violence across the nation.
The Caribbean nation of Haiti has experienced devastating natural and climate disasters in the past two decades—most notably, the catastrophic 2010 earthquake that killed over 200,000 people and another in 2021 that claimed the lives of 102,000.
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, the country has not had democratically-elected leadership, and corrupt government officials have done little to address the breakdown of Haiti’s social services. Infrastructure is crumbling, unemployment is high, COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing, and crime is running rampant. Supplies of necessary goods like fuel and water have also dwindled.
Violent crime is of particular concern in Haiti. Armed gangs in cities like Port-au-Prince have surged in numbers and power, inflicting traumatic harm upon people and property. And, without an organized response from law enforcement, they are only tightening their grip on Haiti’s political and economic infrastructure. In August 2023, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that nearly 200,000 people were internally displaced in Haiti, often in inhumane conditions, with violence as the main driver for displacement.
Support Our Work in Haiti
Now more than ever, Haiti is in dire need of trauma relief. The Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation has generously pledged to match all donations made to Haiti. Pledge your support to help us heal trauma, build resilience, and bring an end to Haiti’s perpetual cycle of violence.
Our Work
In response to the 2010 earthquake, with the generous support of Don deLaski and the deLaski Family Foundation, we mobilized to provide emergency trauma-relief and resiliency-building tools and have continued to do so ever since. Since 2010, our CMBM-Haiti team—led by Country Director Linda Delmont Métayer, PhD—has provided direct psychosocial support services to communities around the island.
In recent years, with the generous support of the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation, we’ve been able to bring desperately needed psychosocial support services to hundreds of children and adults affected by the recent surge in brutal gang violence and conflict.
Since 2010, we’ve shared our model with over 120 local and national organizations in Haiti, including the Ministry of Health, the Haitian National Police, and the National Prison System. We’ve also integrated mind-body medicine into shelters for survivors of gender-based violence, unhoused people, and formerly enslaved (Restavek) children, as well as faith-based groups like the Episcopal Commission for Catholic Education. With the Ministry of Health, we’ve co-created a nationwide program to train several thousand clinicians and educators who will bring hope and healing to hundreds of thousands.
As the Earth’s climate continues to change, we anticipate an increase in natural and climate disasters across the globe. We are setting a benchmark for emergency and sustained public health disaster responses.
The beauty of this work is that it allows people to rebuild from the inside and it gives them a sense of hope. It sounds so little, but it’s everything.
Impact
- 250,000+ children and adults served
- 43,000+ children and adults have participated in Mind-Body Skills Groups
- 300 clinicians, educators, community leaders, clergy, and others trained
- 120 organizations implementing our model
After the loss of my house in Hurricane Matthew, I had lost hope in life. I thought I was going crazy. The CMBM team gave me hope. Thanks to them, I know I have a future.
Our Model in Action
Global Trauma Relief: The Healing
How do you connect?
Thank you to Guylene Berry and Alliance for Progress for providing CMBM-Haiti Country Director Dr. Linda Metayer a platform for sharing news and information on our work in Haiti in Ms. Berry’s bi-weekly radio show, Koze Fanm.
Funding generously provided in part by:
