Amid rising security concerns in Haiti, a New Hampshire woman working for a nonprofit organization in the country and her young daughter have been reported as victims of kidnapping. The U.S. State Department has taken precautionary measures by issuing a “do not travel advisory” for Haiti and instructing non-emergency personnel to evacuate from the area.
El Roi Haiti announced in a statement Saturday that nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were kidnapped Thursday. The two were abducted from campus, according to El Roi, which operates a school and ministry in Port au Prince. Sandro Dorsainvil, who runs the program, is married to Dorsainvil.
“Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family,” El Roi president and co-founder Jason Brown said in the statement. “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.”
In a statement released on Saturday, a representative for the State Department said the department is “aware of reports of the kidnapping of two American citizens in Haiti,” and that it is “in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners.”
The department stated in its statement on Thursday that “kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens.”
It states that American citizens have suffered physical harm as victims of kidnappings, which often involve ransom negotiations.
The National Human Rights Defense Network warned of an increase in murders and kidnappings earlier this month, and the U.N. Security Council gathered to review the deteriorating situation in Haiti.
According to WMUR-TV, Dorsainvil is from Middleton, New Hampshire, and attended Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, which sponsors a program to aid in the development of Haitian nursing education.
“It doesn’t surprise me that Alix chose to get involved in this type of service work,” Regis College president Toni Hays told the station. “She was amazing. She was passionate, she was compassionate.”