As gang violence continues to grip parts of Haiti, a Brockport man fears for the lives of the hundreds of Haitian people who are served by the humanitarian organization he established almost 20 years ago.
"I don't think it's ever been this bad, at least in my memory of working in Haiti," said David Young, a retired lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army Reserves.
Today he is a CPA who owns an accounting firm in Henrietta.
It was a deployment to Haiti in 2005 that inspired Young to establish the nonprofit "Heart of God Haiti." The organization provides financial support for Haitian families and schools and offers micro-loans to women.
But with all the banks closed, the traditional means of transferring money is no longer working.
Young said he was able to reach his contact in Haiti on Monday night.
"He's out of food, so I had to find an alternate way to send him money in hopes that he can get some food for his own family, let alone the kids that he's trying to support," Young said. "The gangs have surrounded each area and a lot of the kids we’re supporting were displaced. They kicked them out of their homes, and now they're on the streets."
The gang attacks have pushed many to the brink of famine.
Finding a way around bank closures is challenging. Sending his contact to a Western Union outlet could endanger the man's life.
"Those places are watched by the gangs, so if they see you go in and come out, you might get mugged or killed so they can steal whatever money you get," Young explained.
While he would like to be optimistic about the chances of a transitional government moving in, Young said he believes the situation will become worse in the short-term.
"If it continues on this way for much longer, people are going to start starving in droves," he said.
