Got a phone call yesterday from the prison- they were out of food. Thankfully, we have a small amount of food on reserve right now, and I was able to jump in the car with Linda and Jhony to bring them 20 boxes of vitamin-enriched rice. This will last 2 days.
Upon arrival, I spoke to a friend who works with the Canadian UN at the prison. They are there in hopes of providing "training and assistance" to improve the police system in Haiti. Is it working? To quote my friend- "some days we take three steps forward... and then the next day we take four steps back." My friend said that the reason there is no food in the prison is because there are "administrative issues"... what does this mean?
It means that the administration in PaP is behind on their payments for the food and delivery company that delivers food to the prisons. So they are refusing to deliver any more food. The Les Cayes head chief of police went to PaP for a meeting today. He learned that they will not be receiving any more food until PaP decides to pay their outstanding bill.
This is RIDICULOUS!! Who is ultimately suffering here? Not the administrative staff who will go home and have a nice meal of rice and beans. Not the delivery company who will get to go home and sit around a table with their family. But the prisoners- the children, the women, and the men in prison are going to starve to death because of an administrative battle.
My friend from the UN said that even the head of police is purchasing food out of his own pocket to feed the prisoners. The UN is looking into other organizations that would be willing to send food to the prison. But... as we often find... who wants to help prisoners? They deserve to be suffering, right?... They deserve to starve to death in hell, right?...
Does anyone out there know a journalist who needs a story? How about this one- "Haitian Prisoners Starve Until Pockets Filled."
Sent to my Friend Austin Considine, we will see.
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