The United Nations World Food Program announced a critical funding shortfall, forcing them to withdraw assistance from 100,000 vulnerable Haitians this month. This 25% reduction in aid comes at a dire time, with a record 4.9 million people in Haiti (out of a population of nearly 11 million) grappling with food insecurity.

Jean-Martin Bauer, the WFP's director for Haiti, emphasized the devastating timing of these cuts, as Haitians face a complex humanitarian crisis fueled by violence, insecurity, economic instability, and climate-related challenges. He warned that unless immediate funding is secured, more drastic cuts are inevitable.

The WFP's Haiti response plan is currently only 16% funded. Without an additional $121 million by the end of the year, the organization projects it will be unable to provide food assistance to 750,000 Haitians. This year, the program has provided over 450,000 school children with hot meals, often their sole source of nourishment for the day.

Haiti currently has the second highest rate of emergency-level food insecurity per capita globally, with nearly 5 million people struggling to find food daily. The situation is particularly alarming for children, with over 115,000 children under 5 projected to suffer from malnutrition this year—a 30% increase compared to 2022. Rampant gang violence further exacerbates the crisis, disrupting the transportation of essential goods and confining people to their homes.