Country: Haiti
Member/Partner: Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR)/ Lutheran World Federation Haiti/Fondation Nouvelle Grand’Anse (FNGA)
In Haiti, amidst ongoing conflict, severe weather events, natural disasters, and systemic poverty, millions of families struggle to put food on the table. Difficult trade-offs (such as skipping meals, selling assets, or relying on limited support from neighbours and relatives) are made to ease the burden of hunger, but in a country experiencing famine-like conditions, more assistance is needed.
That’s where Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Haiti and local implementing partner Fondation Nouvelle Grand’Anse (FNGA) stepped in to support 577 families (2,885 individuals) living in Grand’Anse Department, which was devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, an earthquake in 2021, floods and landslides in 2024, and most recently, Hurricane Melissa in late 2025.
“The marks of these catastrophic events are still visible, and the populations have not yet recovered from these disastrous situations,” says FNGA executive coordinator Jude Saint Gilles. “Recovery efforts are often disrupted by unexpected events, leaving communities in a state of chronic vulnerability.”
Additionally, gang violence in Haiti continues to complicate the delivery of food assistance by disrupting access to vulnerable communities, while also posing serious risks to humanitarian staff, and causing food prices to rise by approximately 35 per cent in 2025 as fees for transporting food through gang-controlled areas are passed onto the final sale price for the consumer.
“To cope with food insecurity, many [people] resorted to borrowing from neighbours or shopkeepers to buy food, while others consumed inappropriate and poorly nutritious foods to survive, which increased health risks,” says Gilles.
In response, LWF Haiti and FNGA provided three months of electronic cash transfers ($172 CAD per month) to selected families from June to August 2025. The work continues with a new emergency response project starting early 2026 – driven by FNGA’s deep conviction that every human being deserves to live with dignity, Gilles says.
“Hearing a mother testify that she can now feed her children thanks to the support received, or seeing a community recover despite hardships – these are the moments that give profound meaning to our commitment.”
This story was originally published in the 2026 winter edition of Breaking Bread.
