Irish charity worker among nine people kidnapped from orphanage in Haiti
Gena Heraty has worked in Haiti for more than 30 years. Photo: Mark Condren.
An Irish woman is among nine people who were kidnapped from an orphanage near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince yesterday.
Westport native Gena Heraty is a charity worker overseeing the Sainte-Helene orphanage operated by humanitarian organisation Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs (Our Little Brothers and Sisters), AFP reports.
Ms Heraty has been living in Haiti for 32 years, running the orphanage which accommodates up to 270 children.
A three-year-old child and seven orphanage workers have also been taken, according to the mayor of the local commune.
"The attackers broke into the orphanage around 3:30am without opening fire," said the mayor of Kenscoff, Masillon Jean, calling it a "planned act".
"They broke through a wall to enter the property before heading to the building where the director was staying, leaving with nine hostages."
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that it is aware of Ms Heraty's case and is providing consular assistance.
In a statement published on Sunday, NPH said that seven staff members and one youth were taken from its home for vulnerable and at risk children in Kenscoff.
The organisation confirmed that one of the staff members taken is a foreigner, whose identity and nationality will not be revealed for security reasons. NPH also said that two hospitals it runs in Haiti will be closed until the people taken from its orphanage have been safely released.
Gangs control 90pc of Haiti's capital, according to the United Nations, and in recent months they have been launching attacks on previously peaceful communities.
More than 5,600 people were reported killed in Haiti last year, with gang violence leaving more than 1 million people homeless in recent years, according to the UN. The UN recorded 185 victims of kidnapping in Haiti between April and June of this year, and said that gangs commit this crime to 'subjugate' people in areas under their control.
The Irish Independent previously spoke with Ms Heraty in 2013 after she was attacked and the then mayor was killed at an orphanage in Kenscoff in a robbery.
Ms Heraty is director of the special needs programme at the orphanage.
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