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\u201cWhat Haitians want the most is peace<\/strong>, that will allow them to return to school, to farm their\u00a0fields, to access basic services such as going to a hospital,\u201d\u00a0Edem\u00a0Wosornu, Operations and Advocacy Director with the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said in\u00a0a joint statement issued on Monday.<\/p>\n Ms.\u00a0Wosornu visited\u00a0Haiti alongside Lucia Elmi, Director for Emergency Operations at the UN Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF), and Andrea\u00a0Koulaimah, Director for Latin American and the Caribbean for the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).\u00a0<\/p>\n As clashes continue in Haiti, more than\u00a0578,000 people are displaced, and\u00a0nearly five million \u2013\u00a0roughly half the population \u2013 are facing acute hunger, with 1.6 million at risk of starvation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last October, the UN Security Council authorized the deployment of a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission\u00a0to\u00a0assist the beleaguered national police force in quelling\u00a0the gang violence.<\/p>\n Kenya offered to lead the non-UN mission and international media report\u00a0that another 200 of its police officers have arrived in Haiti, joining some 400 already there.<\/p>\n The violence has crippled Haiti\u2019s\u00a0agricultural sector \u2013 a key source of income for families \u2013 and disrupted education and healthcare.\u00a0More than 900 schools have been closed since January, while in the capital,\u00a0Port-au-Prince,\u00a0nearly 40 per cent of all in-patient health facilities are out of service.<\/p>\n Furthermore, families who used to be economically independent have now lost income, thus affecting their access to food and healthcare.\u00a0 Most that have been displaced do not know if their children will be able to return to school.\u00a0<\/p>\n The humanitarian delegation\u00a0held meetings with senior Haitian officials, including new Prime Minister\u00a0Gary Conille as well as authorities in the cities of Les\u00a0Cayes and Gonaives.<\/p>\n They stressed that the international community must continue to support Haiti\u2019s Government in providing life-saving aid and development\u00a0assistance.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMillions of families are yearning for an end to this relentless violence. It is critical to step up\u00a0protection services for women and children<\/strong> \u2013 who are\u00a0bearing the brunt of this crisis \u2013 and fast-track humanitarian\u00a0assistance for those in need\u201d,\u00a0Ms. Elmi said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Back in February, the UN and partners launched a $674 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti, but at the midpoint of the year it is\u00a0less than a quarter funded<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The cost of inaction would be too high if response is not scaled up now, the statement warned, noting that international and local humanitarian partners have managed to find solutions to both access and\u00a0assist Haitians throughout the country despite the challenging security situation.<\/p>\nMore Kenyan officers\u00a0arrive<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Impact on families<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Shortfall in aid<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n