Despite Gang Violence and New Haitian Leadership, Millions Continue with their Lives

With violent gangs in the streets and an unstable government, Haiti’s Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, resigned on April 25, and a transition council took power. The council is expected to vote for a new, temporary leader on Feb. 30. The transitional government cannot be renewed after February 2026, when national elections are planned.

“We are excited to see the formation of a new government,“ shared missionary Nick Stolberg with The Epoch Times. ”Each time a new leader has taken power during our time in Haiti, it has brought in a renewed sense of national pride and hope for a better tomorrow. We will pray that this team learns to work together, compromise, and put the country first.”

Mr. Stolberg is the founder and CEO of New Roots in Haiti and resides near Cap-Haitien, Haiti, with his wife Nikki and their four children.

“I’ve been on the list with the Department of State for the past month, and they’ve given me plenty of options to leave,” Mr. Stolberg said. But conditions are not as bad in his region, and they want to stay and continue the work of New Roots, which focuses on economic development.

They moved to Haiti in 2010. While many missionaries serve for one week or one year, the Stolbergs believe they can best serve by calling Haiti home. They have gained much insight into the country over the last 14 years.

Former prime minister Mr. Henry was not elected or appointed by Haitians, and that never set well with the people, he said.

“He had an opportunity to lead, but in his tenure, we never saw him lead anything. The government had been run into the ground, and he was essentially an illegitimate dictator,” Mr. Stolberg said. “In many senses the Haitian people should be commended for organizing a popular uprising and bringing in a new government.”

He calls the announcement of a new, Haitian-appointed transitional government a huge win for the country, specifically because it has an end date. Mr. Henry’s leadership never had an end date. This next leadership will have a limited term and that encourages the entire country to work together to form a new round of elections, he said.

Mr. Stolberg wants the world to know that yes, Haiti’s capitol city, Port-au-Prince has been chaotic, but in the pictures showing someone running, there is usually someone in the background just chilling and playing on their phone. While there are thousands of gang members, there are still millions of ordinary people just trying to live life, he says.

What Haiti Needs

Economic development is what will change Haiti, Mr. Stolberg said. When missionaries go to Haiti, they typically build churches, schools, and medical clinics.

“If you go to church in Haiti, people are praying for jobs. They’re not praying to build another church down the road. There’s lots of churches. There’s lots of schools. We don’t need any more schools.”

Most schools charge tuition, making classes out of reach for many kids. But some people are willing to sponsor a child and pay their tuition.

“It you want to sponsor a kid to go to school—great. At 18 They’re going to be unemployed like everybody else,” Mr. Stolberg said.

“We need to invest in roads, power, schools, basic infrastructure that will allow economic development in ways that were never before possible. This was the vision of late president Jovenel Moise and is one of the elements that New Roots Haiti works for every day.”

Mr. Moise was assassinated in his home in…