Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
Haiti has been through a lot political instability and Deadly gang violence on the rise. among FAA bans flights from U.S.. In Haiti, some volunteers remain steadfast in their determination to travel to the Caribbean country to help innocent people caught up in the unstable situation.
According to UNICEF, nearly 3 million children in Haiti are in need of humanitarian assistance.
A missionary group in South Florida says they feel compelled to continue their tradition of not only providing aid but also providing Christmas gifts to children in what the World Bank says is the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“A lot of people are on the verge of starvation…kids need some joy this time of year,” said pilot Joe Karabensh, who has been helping people in Haiti for more than 20 years. “I definitely think it’s worth the risk. We pray for safety, but we know the task is huge, and we’re meeting the need.”
His company, Missionary Flights International, helps approximately 600 charities fly life-saving supplies to Haiti. He has flown medical equipment, tires and even goats into the country in refurbished World War II-era planes.
But it was the annual Christmas flight, filled with toys for the kids, that was especially important to him. This year, one of his Douglas DC-3s will transport more than 260 shoebox-sized boxes of toys purchased and packaged by church members at Family Church in Jensen Beach, Florida.
Years ago, the church established a school in a rural community in the northern region of Haiti, where approximately 260 students currently attend.
Each year, a small group of missionaries from the church volunteer to board an old metal plane in the Calabunche hangar in Fort Pierce, Florida, and fly to Haiti to personally deliver Christmas cheer to schools. The boxes are filled with simple treasures like crayons, toy cars and Play-Doh.
It’s a tradition that has grown over the past decade, with demand growing significantly.
Contractor Alan Morris, a member of the organization, helped build the school years ago and returns there for as many as three mission trips a year. He said he kept going back because he felt obligated to do so.
“There’s a sense of calm here, if you will,” he said.
last month, Three passenger planes were hit The plane was close to the Haitian capital, but Morris said he still believed his life was not in danger as he traveled to the besieged country as they flew to areas further away from Port-au-Prince, where Violence is most concentrated.
This is where World War II-era aircraft played a key role. Because they have two wheels at the front—unlike modern airliners, which have just one wheel at the front—older planes can safely land on remote grass landing strips.
The dangerous journey didn’t end there – after landing, Morris and his church members had to drive another two hours with their gift boxes.
“I promise, this is the worst road you’ll ever go down,” Morris said.
Morris made the perilous journey year after year, watching the smiles on children’s faces as they opened their presents.
Asked why it was important to him to help these children have a proper Christmas, Morris replied with tears in his eyes: “They have nothing, they have nothing, you know, but they are very, very, very good. people…if we could give them a taste of what we thought was Christmas, then we did something about it.”
