An American nurse and her young daughter have been freed after being kidnapped in the Caribbean nation of Haiti, two weeks ago. Alix Dorsainvil was taken at gunpoint from her clinic in the capital Port-au-Prince.
She worked for Christian education ministry El Roi Haiti which was founded and run by her Haitian husband Sandro. The ministry confirmed the nurse’s safe release, saying its entire community is praising God for answered prayer, with a heart of gratitude and immense joy. But it cautioned: “There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation.”
El Roi described Alix Dorsainvil as someone who “lives a life following in the footsteps of Jesus. A deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family. She had lived in Haiti for multiple years, showing love and care in a variety of ways before coming on staff with us, but has had a heart for the hurting since she was a child.”
It added that her release was a testament to God’s faithfulness and the power of prayer. “We are so thankful for everyone who joined us in prayer and supported us during this crisis. El Roi is a Hebrew name for the God of the Bible that means The God Who Sees. It is with that vision that we now rest upon God’s truth that: In his kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation’ (1 Peter 5:10).”
“We praise God that He has proven Himself faithful as He restores, supports, and strengthens Alix and her family, the ministry of El Roi Haiti, and the community that Alix has impacted — and continues to impact — with her ministry in Haiti” it concluded.
The BBC quoted the ministry as saying Sandro Dorsainvil grew up in poverty in Port-au-Prince. In 2014 he graduated from a high school in the state of Montana. An alumni newsletter from the school says the couple married in Haiti in January 2021 and had adopted one boy there while raising two girls.
It was reported the kidnappers had demanded a A$1.5 million ransom for the safe return of the mother and daughter, but the US State Department wouldn’t confirm if any money had been paid. Just hours after the kidnapping, it ordered all non-emergency government personnel and the family members of embassy officials to leave Haiti. “Do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure,” the State Department’s updated travel advisory read, warning that the abduction of US citizens is “widespread”.
Armed gangs control around 80% of the capital, and violent crimes such as kidnappings and armed robbery are common. There have been more than 1,000 kidnappings from January to June according to the United Nations. Several thousand people concealing their identities marched through Port-au-Prince earlier this week, demanding protection from the gangs.
Photo: El Roi Haiti
