Mary’s Meals Issues Urgent Appeal as Haiti’s Children Face Deadly Hunger and Targeted Gang Recruitment

Bloomfield, N.J. – March 9, 2026 – Haiti’s children are running out of options. Hungry and surrounded by violence, many are being recruited into armed gangs lured by the promise of food. It’s one of the most severe crises affecting children worldwide today.

More than half of the population – around 5.71 million people – is facing high levels of acute food insecurity including
one million children. The situation is dire. In the absence of a functional government, armed conflict has intensified, and gangs control 90% of the capital city, Port-au-Prince. Violence has also spread to other areas previously deemed safe, like the central and western regions, where Mary’s Meals also serves children. As gangs exploit hunger to recruit children, a daily meal served in a place of education is far more than food.

“Gangs are always trying to target children because they are most vulnerable, most in need of assistance. You cannot get out once you get in a gang. It's either you die, or your family dies, or you stay in,” explained Emmline Toussaint, coordinator of Mary’s Meals school feeding program in Haiti. “We’ve already lost those aged 15 to 30. That’s why we need to work more with those children from three to 14. They are the ones that we should focus on, those little ones. They need us to guide them differently,” she said.

In Haiti since 2006, Mary’s Meals reaches almost 200,000 children in over 670 schools across Haiti, working through local partners. Operating conditions in Haiti have forced many organizations to scale back, but the charity’s partners on the ground have adapted their delivery plans to keep reaching as many schools as possible.
 

Mary’s Meals CEO and founder, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, said, “I knew from my visits that, from the beginning, Haiti would be an extremely difficult place for us to work. But I had no doubt that it was somewhere we should be providing Mary’s Meals. What I could have never imagined is that, 20 years later, the situation would be even more terrible. Poverty, hunger, and disruption still stand in the way of children and their education. Yet there are signs of hope – a child smiling in school where they feel safe and receive a meal, and teachers who keep showing up for their classes with remarkable courage. Our meals help children to stay in school, and we will keep doing all we can to ensure those we serve can continue to depend on us.”

Today in Haiti, more than 1.4 million people are displaced, half of whom are children. In schools where Mary’s Meals operates, children have a reason to go to class and have the energy to concentrate during lessons, staying connected and, for that time, feeling safe. More than half of Haiti’s population is under 25, and one in five is between 15 and 24, a group often called a “missing generation.”
 

“The situation in Haiti has long been difficult, but I cannot think of a time when things have been so desperate. I remember my own childhood. You could go out in your yard and play with others your age. Now, if a day passes without hearing any shootings, it’s a great day. But shootings are every day, every single day,” Emmline recalled.

As the situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate, Mary’s Meals has launched an urgent appeal to continue providing crucial nutrition to children in a safe place of learning. Rising costs and disruption are profoundly impacting the way the organization delivers its program. In addition to the increasing prices of food and fuel, the safe transportation of food is also becoming more expensive than ever, as suppliers must use longer but currently safer routes to avoid the gang-controlled main highways.
 

Mary’s Meals is urging the public to stand with Haiti during this extremely difficult time, helping to keep children learning and supporting Haiti’s next generation. School meals provide a lifeline, and a donation - just $25.20 will feed a child for a school year - will help Mary’s Meals continue to provide essential nutrition to children in a safe place of learning.

To learn more, visit www.marysmealsusa.org.