Deadly Haiti protests keeping Newfoundlander from getting back to the orphanage she runs
Karen Huxter says living conditions are poor and the violence is alarming
A Newfoundlander is desperate to get back to her beloved orphanage in Haiti but after five failed attempts she'sstuck in Springdale with no hope of leaving any time soon.
Karen Huxter is one of the directors of Hands Across the Sea, a non-profit organization that runs a children's home and school in Deschapelles, a town about 50 kilometres north of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
"People are being killed, people are literally starving right now, people have no water, people can't go to school. It's just a mess," Huxter told CBC Newfoundland Morning.
I have tears rolling down my face and I am, like, 'Get me back there.'- Karen Huxter
Huxter said she planned to go back in April, June, August and September, and she had tickets booked to fly out Monday. But each time she has been toldit's too dangerous.
"Will I get there? Unless there are big changes, no."
Her staff at the orphanage keep her updated on their condition that is, when they have electricity.
She said the orphanage is often without power, whichmeansno refrigerator andno water. There were no classes at the school last week and none scheduled for this week.
On top of poor living conditions, she said, the violence is alarming.
Difficult to keep children fed
Huxter said it's impossible to drive on the roads because they are always blocked. Cars are often pelted with large rocks and sometimes oil and glass is purposely spilled on the road to stop moving vehicles.
Without a refrigerator to keep food cold or a wayto get to a grocery store, Huxter said, it's getting harder to feed the children.
"Things are really, really bad," she said.
"It's not easy.I can be OK for a while and the next thing I am walking around praying out loud.I have tears rolling down my face and I am, like, 'Get me back there.'"
Huxter said does not want the children to think she has abandonedthem.
The violence comes from protests demanding the resignation ofHaitian President Jovenel Mose.
"I can't say who is in the right, who is in the wrong. I don't like the violence that is coming with it," said Huxter, who is asking for people to pray for her orphanage and for the country.
"I understand the people, I know the people, and they have just had all they can take."
With files from CBC Newfoundland Morning
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