THE NIGHTMARE. . . We’ve been quiet for a couple of months because our team has been facing a nightmare of a situation that we could not talk about at the time. But now, we would like to bring you in on what we’ve been dealing with. At the end of April, our national programs director, Daniel, traveled to Port-au-Prince to handle some personal matters. (Please note that for the past couple of years, we no longer travel to PAP as a team. The gangs have cut off the national highways, where it is no longer safe to travel by car, but locals have a route they take via boat to reach the capital to handle official documents and go to government buildings.) On his way to catch a boat ride back to the southern part of the island, standing in a seemly safe and crowded area, he was held at gunpoint, forced to enter a tinted vehicle, hooded, and brought to an unknown area. After losing all communication from him, we spent an entire week with no news. Our team feared the worst. In Haiti, there is no law and order; there is no one to call about a missing person. It has become normal for people to disappear every single day. A week later, Daniel’s brother received the first phone call. “We’ve got him,” was all that was said before they abruptly hung up. That’s when we knew that Daniel had been kidnapped by one of the gangs.Days turned to weeks as we waited for their calls. Every moment was spent planning out every word, negotiating new challenges carefully, and praying fiercely. Those have been the longest days and weeks of our lives. We did not know whether we would ever see our friend and brother, Daniel, again. This is a daily occurrence in Haiti. This is what the locals are facing while living in this broken nation. It is NOT fair, NOT safe, and definitely NOT getting better. 50 long days later… after our careful communication and negotiation, while keeping it all private, fearing the unknown factors, Daniel was released. He is freed from captivity.Thank you, God.After our emotional phone call with him, his brother immediately took him to the hospital. He was weak and in pain. The test results came back showing that he had contracted urinary, intestinal, and gallbladder infections. He later told me about the poor living conditions they had, sleeping on the floor with one outhouse. There would be days when they did not feed them or allow them to shower. Many who were kidnapped were shot on the spot. He is grateful he made it out alive. Daniel is now on his road to recovery.One thing is for certain: Daniel protected us. Despite being interrogated at gunpoint many times, he never disclosed his connection with our school, our organization, or our names. As an organization, we did not negotiate with the gangs. We simply advised his brother.
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