Haiti has gone through it political instability and increasing, deadly gang violence. Among a Federal Aviation Administration ban on flights from the US. to Haiti, some volunteers are still clueless in their intention to travel to the Caribbean country to help the innocent people caught in the middle of the instability.
Nearly 3 million children are in need of humanitarian aid in Haiti, according to UNICEF.
A missionary group in south Florida says they feel they must continue their tradition of giving not just support, but Christmas gifts to children in what the Bank of The world says that it is the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“A lot of people on the brink of starvation … children who need a little joy at this time of year,” said Joe Karabensh, a pilot who has been flying to help people in Haiti for more than 20 years . “I definitely think the risk is worth it. We pray for safety, but we know the work is huge, and we are meeting a need.”
His company, Missionary Flights International, helps around 600 charities fly life-saving supplies to Haiti. He has flown medical equipment, tires, and even goats into the country in refurbished WWII-era planes.
But it is an annual flight at Christmas time, filled with toys for children, that feels especially important to him. This year, one of its Douglas DC-3s will deliver more than 260 toy-sized shoeboxes purchased and packed by church members from the Jensen Beach Family Church in Florida.
Years ago, the church built a school in a rural community in the northern region of Haiti, which now serves about 260 students.
A small group of missionaries from the church volunteer each year to board the old metal planes in the Karabensh hangar in Fort Pierce, Florida, and fly to Haiti to personally deliver Christmas cheer to the school . The boxes are filled with simple treasures, such as rocks, toy cars and Play-Doh.
It is a tradition that has grown over the past ten years, just as the need, too, has grown significantly.
Contractor Alan Morris, who is a member of the group, helped build the school years ago, and he returns there on mission trips up to three times a year. He goes back, he said, because he feels called to do it.
“There is peace, if you will,” he said.
last month, three passenger planes were shot down fly close to Haiti's capital, but Morris said he remains confident his life is not in danger when he travels to the besieged country, as they fly into areas further from Port-au-Prince, where the violence is targeted.
This is where WWII-era airplanes play a vital role. Because they have two front wheels – unlike today's passenger planes, which have one front wheel – the older planes can land safely on an isolated grass landing strip.
The dangerous journey doesn't end there – after landing, Morris and his fellow church members have to drive another two hours
“I promise, the worst roads you've ever been on,” Morris said.
It is a dangerous journey for Morris to live, year after year, seeing the children's faces light up as they open their presents.
When asked why it's important to him to help give these children a proper Christmas, Morris replied with tears in his eyes, “They don't have anything, they don't have anything, you know, but they're wonderful people, wonderful … and if we can give them just a little taste of what we think Christmas is, then we've done something.”
