American nurse and her child are kidnapped in Haiti, nonprofit says

An American woman and her child were allegedly kidnapped near the Caribbean nation’s capital city on Thursday, according to the nonprofit organization she works for.

The woman, Alix Dorsainvil, 31, is from New Hampshire but lives in Haiti and is married to the organization’s director, Sandro Dorsainvil.

El Roi Haiti Outreach International, a faith-focused humanitarian group, announced the kidnapping of a staff member Thursday, then on Saturday identified her as Alix Dorsainvil and said the couple’s child was also kidnapped. Dorsainvil is the organization’s community health nurse, according to its website.

They were taken from the organization’s campus near Port-au-Prince “while serving in our community ministry” Thursday morning, according to a statement on El Roi Haiti’s website.

“Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family,” the statement said. “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.”

On Thursday, the U.S. State Department ordered non-emergency government workers and their family members to evacuate, told all Americans in Haiti to leave and issued a “do not travel” advisory.

“We are aware of reports of the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Haiti,” an email from the State Department said Saturday. “We are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners. We have nothing further to share at this time.”

The travel advisory warned Americans not to go to Haiti due to “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure.” The Caribbean nation has been plagued by violence and unrest, is experiencing shortages of gasoline and medical supplies, and has an ongoing cholera outbreak, according to the U.S. government.

Last week, those at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti were already under orders not to leave and were prohibiting “from walking in Port-au-Prince.” The State Department ordered U.S. personnel not to use public transportation or taxis, visit banks, use ATMs, drive at night or travel anywhere without prior approval.

“U.S. citizens in Haiti should depart Haiti as soon as possible,” the advisory reads.

The State Department also warned that kidnappers use sophisticated methods, often demand ransom and sometimes physically harm their targets.

“Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens,” the travel advisory says.

Sandro Dorsainvil grew up in Port-au-Prince in poverty, secured a degree in developmental psychology and biblical counseling and began working with El Roi ministries, which include religious, literacy and vocational programs for children and adults, according to the organization’s website.

A photo on the site appears to show Sandro and Alix Dorsainvil with their arms around each other, green hills in the background.

“My name is Alix. I’m a nurse from New Hampshire, but now I live in Haiti,” Dorsainvil says in a video about her work on the organization’s website. “Sandro invited me to come to the school to do some nursing for some of the kids. He said that was a big need they had.”

Dorsainvil “has been living and working in Haiti for some time now,” El Roi president and co-founder Jason Brown said in an email. “Our team at El Roi Haiti is grateful for the outpouring of prayers, care, and support for our colleague. We continue to work with our partners and trusted relationships to secure their safe return.”

On Saturday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke generally about Haiti, telling reporters at a news conference in Australia that the Biden administration has a “very deep concern for the situation there, particularly with regard to the violence and the activities of the gangs.”

Michael Birnbaum and Helier Cheung contributed to this report, which will be updated.