A Vigil for All We’ve Lost

Join us by speaking the names of the people, the individual fathers, sons, mothers, and daughters whose lives have been lost. There is power in saying their names and honoring the human lives that are behind the numbers and headlines. Many have lost loved ones, others have lost their life savings to kidnapping ransoms, or their homes or businesses.

In the last three years, we have watched with anguish as the capital and surrounding areas have descended into never-before-seen terror and insecurity. No one is untouched by the trauma of what’s happening in Port-au-Prince and areas like the Artibonite, where gang violence is increasing. Physical insecurity makes it terrifying to consider performing even the most mundane errands. Fuel scarcity continues, making transportation impossibly expensive if gas can even be found. The shortages are felt across the country where gas has been rare for months, even years, in many places. Every time someone in the capital area chooses to leave their home, they know they are risking not only their own life, but they also risk being kidnapped which leads to families losing their life savings and often going into debt. People cannot reach lifesaving health care and food insecurity is already taking lives as people are finding it harder and harder to eat, both due to the disruption of transport and long periods of drought. Entire communities have been displaced as control of neighborhoods are taken by gangs.

By speaking about who and what we’ve lost, we can change the narrative that glorifies horrific violence without ever saying the names of the victims or speaking to the true context of the governance and security crisis and its far-reaching impacts on every single Haitian person.

We cannot be silent any longer!

Join the #Vigil4Haiti now!

STEP ONE:

Be part of the online vigil for Haiti. Through posts on social media, grief that has been hidden will be brought to the forefront as we ask the world to look at the real cost of the crisis in Haiti. Below are some basic guidelines for Vigil4Haiti posts. We encourage you to post about what you have lost to the insecurity in Haiti. For many, loved ones have been lost. Others have lost their life savings to kidnapping ransoms, or their homes or businesses.

GUIDELINES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Join the campaign by posting on your social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn. Please follow these simple guidelines:

• Post using the specific name of loved ones lost to insecurity with something about how they lived as well as how they died. If possible, include their year of month/year of birth and month/year of death. Include a photo of them ALIVE. Please DO NOT post any graphic images or photos of dead bodies.

• Post about massacres or acts of violence with proper attribution such as a link to an article or tweet from a trusted news source.

• Post about other losses from the security and governance crisis, such as loss of home, business, access to education or work, ability to seek health care, and other direct impacts on your life.

• Use the hashtag for the campaign #Vigil4Haiti #veypouAyit #pèdiwout and include @HaitiWatch in your posts.

STEP TWO:

Plan an in person Vigil4Haiti event on Haitian Mother’s Day, Sunday May 28. Too many mothers have lost their children to the growing violence in Haiti. Your event can be a special moment for Haiti during your regular Sunday worship, or a small gathering of family and friends to light candles, or a community call to action for Haiti. We will provide some guidelines for organizing events and reaching out to local media to cover your local Vigil4Haiti and help us call on the world to take action for Haiti.

REGISTER TO HOLD A VIGIL4HAITI EVENT

If you are interested in organizing a Vigil4Haiti event at your church or faith community , with family and friends or your larger community, please fill out this form. We’ll send you some helpful information to get you started planning your Vigil and tips on how to engage the local press so we can amplify your impact. A full listing of Vigil4Haiti local events will be available on this site soon.