A GROUP of Christian Aid Ministries workers — six men and six women — and five children were kidnapped as they travelled home from visiting an orphanage in Haiti on Saturday.

The kidnapping is the latest in a spate in Haiti: there have been 328 in the first eight months of this year. Armed gangs have taken control of large areas of the country in the wake of the assassination, in July, of President Jovenel Moïse, demanding large ransoms for the release of kidnapped groups that have included schoolchildren, doctors, and police officers.

Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), which describes itself as “a channel for Amish, Mennonite and other conservative Anabaptist groups and individuals to minister to physical and spiritual needs around the world”, is based in Ohio. One of the kidnapped workers is Canadian, the others are all American citizens.

The kidnappers are reported to be the “400 Mawozo” gang, known for targeting religious groups. They kidnapped five priests and two nuns in April, holding them for three weeks and reportedly subjecting them to harsh conditions that included lack of food. Roman Catholic schools and universities in Haiti closed in protest, and the seven were eventually released.

CAM has called for prayers for all concerned, including the Haitian and United States civil authorities, who are working to resolve the situation. In a statement on Tuesday, they said that many people were working to bring their loved ones safely home. They revealed the ages of the children to be eight months, and three, 13, and 15 years.

“This group of workers has been committed to minister throughout poverty-stricken Haiti. Their heartfelt desire is to share the love of Jesus,” the statement said. “Before the kidnapping, their work throughout Haiti included supporting thousands of needy schoolchildren, distributing Bibles and Christian literature, supplying medicines for numerous clinics, teaching Haitian pastors and providing food for the elderly and vulnerable.

“In recent months, they were actively involved in coordinating a rebuilding project for those who lost their homes in the August 2021 earthquake [News, 20 August]. When kidnapped, the group was returning from a visit to an orphanage that receives support from Christian Aid ministries.

“God bless you for praying. We immensely appreciate the outpouring of love and support from around the world.”