An urgent effort is underway to free a kidnapped American Christian nurse and her child in Haiti, while the worsening situation in the Caribbean nation has U.S. officials warning Americans to stay away.
Alix Dorsainvil spoke about her work in a video made by the ministry and humanitarian relief organization, El Roi Haiti.
"My name is Alix. I'm a nurse from New Hampshire, but now I live in Haiti. At first, I didn't think there would be much of a need there, but when I got there There were so many cases."
Dorsainvil and her daughter were kidnapped Thursday from their campus just outside of the capital of Port-au-Prince. She is the wife of the ministry's director, Sandro Dorsainvil.
As security has worsened in Haiti, the U.S. State Department has issued a "Do Not Travel" advisory for the nation and ordered non-emergency personnel to leave.
More than 165,000 Haitians have fled their homes amid a surge in gang violence.
Rival gangs are believed to control 80 percent of the capital.
Haiti's police appear powerless, and earlier this month U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an international force to help restore order.
In the midst of this chaos, aid agencies warn half the country is at risk of starvation, with 3 million children facing severe malnutrition.
In a statement, El Roi Haiti said, "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."
The State Department in a statement said it is "aware of reports of the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Haiti," adding, "We are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners."
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