Haiti - FLASH : 9 people including a child kidnapped from an orphanage in Kenscoff
On Sunday, August 3rd, 2025, in Kenscoff, in the locality of Tête Bois-Pin, around 3:30 a.m., heavily armed individuals kidnapped nine people from the Sainte-Hélène orphanage run by the organization "Nos Petits frères et soeurs" which houses approximately 270 children, including about fifty with disabilities.
The hostages included Gena Heraty, an Irish missionary in Haiti since 1993 and head of the section reserved for children with reduced mobility, seven Haitian employees, including a nurse, and a three-year-old child with disabilities, confirmed Masillon Jean, the acting Mayor of Kenscoff.
The Mayor explained "The kidnappers entered without firing a single shot, after breaching the orphanage's perimeter wall, and kidnapped the staff there, then left with their hostages [...]"
On Sunday morning, the kidnappers allowed Gena Heraty to call to confirm the kidnapping and provide updates.
No claim or ransom demand has been made at this time.
