WFP programmes designed to feed the most vulnerable, children, pregnant women, AIDS orphans and disabled people are under threat as the political stand-off turns violent.

Port-au-Prince, February 11- The pupils of Saint Vincent de Paul Primary School counted themselves amongst the lucky ones in their neighbourhood, one of the most deprived of the poverty-stricken port city of Cap Haitien in northern Haiti.

In normal times, concentration at the one-dollar-a-year community school was improved by the daily nourishing cereal drink provided by WFP’s School Feeding Programme. The school is supported jointly by the WFP and the charity Caritas.

But the political violence which started in the Far West district has now spread to the north of the Caribbean island and the school was closed just a few days after these photographs were taken to all but a few older students braving the gunfire to complete their final exams.

As the political situation on the island deteriorates, it could be weeks before the pupils return.

“The parents of the pupils are scared about the situation” said Andrea Bagnoli, WFP’s representative in Cap Haitien.

The town has been without electricity for four days because new fuel can not get through, the nights are filled with the crackle of gun fire, and security is now deemed to be so bad that the UK-based charity Oxfam has pulled out its staff. Many other aid agencies are expected to follow suit.

SHANTYTOWNS AND HUNGER

Cap Haitien, once a wealthy sea port, is now one of the poorest places in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. A staggering 67 percent of the population of this port town, most of them migrants from the countryside,

More than half the food required this month is ready for transport. If we are not able to move it in the coming week, food distributions will be disrupted and malnutrition will rise, especially among vulnerable children
Guy Gauvreau, WFP Country Director in Haiti

live in extreme poverty: overcrowded makeshift housing, little or no sanitation and frequently not enough food to meet minimum daily nutritional requirements.

These dire living conditions have become the rule rather than the exception in Haiti.

Even before the violence started, at least 2.4 million Haitians, almost one-third of the population, did not have enough resources to purchase a daily food basket.

Around 28 percent of children under five are underweight and in some areas the chronic malnutrition rate reaches an alarming 33 percent.

VIOLENCE THREATENS FOOD DELIVERIES

It is not just the closure of WFP sponsored schools - done for safety reasons - that is threatening the nutritional health of the island's struggling population.

WFP warned this week that the escalating political violence, rioting and looting is also blocking food deliveries and as many as WFP 268,000 food aid beneficiaries in Haiti will go hungry if they do not resume over the next few days.

Since last Thursday the road from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien- which is the main route WFP uses to deliver food to its projects in the north - has been completely blocked and the agency has been unable to transport food to re-supply stocks.

AIDS ORPHANS, MOTHERS NEED HELP

During the month of February, WFP needs to deliver 1,400 metric tonnes of cereals to its warehouses in Cap Haitien and another town further west, Bombardopolis.

From these depots the food is moved to assist 87,000 people severely affected by drought and recurrent flooding, 90,000 school children, and 91,000 other vulnerable people, many of them lactating and pregnant mothers, and HIV/AIDS orphans in the north and north-western part of Haiti.

"More than half the food required this month is ready for transport. If we are not able to move it in the coming week, food distributions will be disrupted and malnutrition will rise, especially among vulnerable children," said Guy Gauvreau, WFP Country Director in Haiti.

WFP EXPLORING ALL OPTIONS

Cap Haitien, the second largest city located in the North, remains isolated from the rest of the country with no supplies arriving since last week. "We are exploring all options, including transporting food aid by boat, in order to avoid a break in supplies," added Gauvreau.

In addition, there have been eight different attacks on trucks carrying WFP food in just over a month, during which 61 metric tonnes of food was lost.

"While these incidents have not halted the distribution of our food, looting could become a major issue in the near future if the political and social situation continues to deteriorate," said Gauvreau.