Haiti’s New School Year Stalled by Gang‑Controlled Streets and UNICEF’s Emergency Reach

UNICEF reports that insecurity has affected more than 1,600 schools during the 2024‑2025 school year, interrupting the education of over 240,000 children and the work of roughly 7,500 teachers. In Port‑au‑Prince, up to 90 % of the capital is under gang control, forcing pupils to cross armed‑group zones and exposing them to crossfire, forced recruitment and kidnappings, such as the recent abduction of two girls on their way to class. The pervasive threat has created widespread fear among families, with many parents hesitant to let children travel alone.

To keep learning possible, UNICEF is supporting more than 174,000 children across Haiti’s West, Greater North and Greater South regions. The agency distributes school supplies, assists with enrollment and rehabilitates damaged schools to restore basic functionality. It also provides psychosocial support, trains teachers to recognise trauma signs, and runs remedial classes and accelerated learning programmes for children who have been out of school for months or years. These interventions aim to re‑engage pupils in formal education while addressing the immediate emotional impacts of violence.

Despite the danger, displaced children often view schools as places to reunite with friends and rebuild social ties broken by conflict. Parents, however, voice concerns about hunger, unemployment and the cost of private schooling, describing conditions as “sub‑human.” Teachers themselves sometimes flee their neighborhoods, leaving classrooms understaffed. The recurring demand from communities is clear: safety and continuity of education. Meeting that need will depend on sustained protection measures and the continued provision of learning resources and psychosocial services throughout the school year.