Before she was kidnapped, an American nurse described Haitians as ‘full of joy and love.’
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Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN
Haiti (CNN) — Before Alix Dorsainvil was kidnapped with her child in Haiti, the American nurse described Haitians as a “resilient people” who are “full of joy and life and love.”
Her comments came in a video on the website of El Roi Haiti, the Christian humanitarian aid organization for which she works.
Dorsainvil, the wife of El Roi Haiti Director Sandro Dorsainvil, and their child were reportedly abducted Thursday morning while serving in their community ministry on El Roi Haiti’s campus near the capital city Port-au-Prince, according to a statement from the non-profit. It’s unclear how old the couple’s child is.
That same day, the US State Department ordered the departure of nonemergency government personnel from Haiti as the security situation in the country deteriorates.
The order followed a travel advisory from the US Embassy in Haiti advising US nationals to leave the country immediately due to recent armed clashes between criminal groups and police in Port-au-Prince.
Dorsainvil, a nurse from New Hampshire, moved to Haiti after her husband invited her to the Haitian school to provide nursing care for the children, Dorsainvil explained in an undated video on the organization’s website.
“Haitians are such a resilient people,” Dorsainvil said in that video. “They’re full of joy and life and love and I’m so blessed to be able to know so many amazing Haitians.”
El Roi Haiti has 390 students enrolled from pre-K through 12th grade, according to its website.
U.S. authorities are aware of the abductions and are working with Haitian authorities and US government interagency partners, according to a statement given to CNN by a State Department spokesperson.
“The U.S. Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the spokesperson said.
The department warned of a high threat of violent crime and kidnapping in Port-au-Prince. It added that the US government’s capacity to provide emergency services to US citizens in Haiti is severely constrained.
“Given the recent armed clashes between gangs and the police and the high threat of violent crime and kidnapping throughout Port-au-Prince, the Department of State urges U.S. citizens to make plans to depart Haiti as soon as possible via commercial means,” the earlier advisory stated.
A ‘deeply compassionate and loving person’
The non-profit described the nurse as a “deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family.”
“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 statement from El Roi Haiti said.
Dorsainvil is a “very special young woman,” the president of her alma mater, Regis College, said. School President Antoinette Hays described the nurse as a compassionate person who “cared very much” on NBC’s “Today Show.” Regis College is a small, private university in Weston, Massachusetts.