An American nurse who works for a Christian non-profit organization was kidnapped along with her child near Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince on Thursday.
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Alix Dorsainvil, a New Hampshire nurse who lives and works in Port-au-Prince as a nurse at the school run by the Christian humanitarian organization El Roi Haiti, was kidnapped from the campus, “while serving in our community ministry,” according to the organization.
An American nurse and her daughter have been kidnapped in Haiti while with a nonprofit. The State Department has issued a “do not travel” advisory to Haiti for all Americans.
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A statement on the organization’s website read: “Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family. Alix has worked tirelessly as our school and community nurse to bring relief to those who are suffering as she loves and serves the people of Haiti in the name of Jesus.”
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Alix is the wife of El Roi Haiti’s director Sandro Dorsainvil, and moved to Haiti after her husband invited her to provide nursing services to the school. “Haitians are such a resilient people. They’re full of joy and life and love,” Alix said in a promotional video. “I’m so blessed to be able to know so many amazing Haitians.”
Unrest in Haiti has been at an all-time high as of late, with deadly violence and kidnappings surging throughout the country and capital, Port-au-Prince.
According to a United Nations report, there were 1,634 reported cases of kidnappings, killings and injuries from January-March 2023. Kidnappings alone made up roughly 395 of those crimes — a 12 percent increase from the previous three months.
In 2021, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, kidnappers proceeded to abduct a group of 17 missionaries on their way back from building an orphanage. Five of the missionaries were later released while the other 12 escaped their captors.
The State Department advised Americans to avoid travel to Haiti. In its latest travel advisory for the country at the end of July, the department categorizes the country as a Level 4 risk assessment — meaning “do not travel” — while adding that kidnapping in Haiti “is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens.”
“Kidnapping cases often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed during kidnappings. Victims families have paid thousands of dollars to rescue their family members,” the State Department wrote in a news release.
The department ordered all family members of U.S. government employees and non-emergency U.S. government employees in Haiti to leave the country as soon as possible “in light of the current security situation and infrastructure challenges.”
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