An Irish woman kidnapped in Haiti has “dedicated her life to supporting the most vulnerable” there, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said.
The Government is in close contact with authorities in Haiti and “will continue to leave no stone unturned to ensure” Gena Heraty is released, he said on Monday.
Ms Heraty was among eight people kidnapped from the Sainte-Hélène orphanage in the commune of Kenscoff, about 10km southeast of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, on Sunday.
The Co Mayo woman, who has lived in Haiti since 1993, oversees the running of the orphanage and is the co-ordinator of its special needs programme.
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The facility is operated by the humanitarian organisation Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs (NPFS, Our Little Brothers and Sisters).
NPH Ireland, the charity’s Irish branch, confirmed eight people were kidnapped – seven employees, including Ms Heraty, and a child. It is understood the child is three years old.
“Our thoughts are with the eight individuals, and we remain hopeful for their safe return,” a statement on behalf of the organisation said.
No demands or ransom requests have been made.
Originally from Westport, Ms Heraty graduated from the University of Limerick with a degree in business studies in 1991.
She joined lay missionary group Viatores Christi, based in Dublin, and began working with the Simon Community. She was introduced to the French charity NPFS and began working at the orphanage in Haiti.
Writing about her work for The Irish Times in 2007, she said: “Once I saw those kids, I knew I had to help them.”
Haiti “is often so brutal. The challenge is to take the pain and see what you can do to relieve it – your own pain and the pain of Haiti. We can’t change Haiti,” she wrote.
In a statement, Viatores Christi said Ms Heraty has dedicated her life “to children and adults with disabilities through her leadership of NPFS’s special needs programme”.
The organisation praised her “commitment, compassion and steady presence”, saying she has “made a lasting difference” to many families in the region.
“We are thinking of Gena, her family and colleagues, and the adults and children in her care,” the statement added.
Ms Heraty was named Humanitarian of the Year at the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards in 2019. Announcing her win at the time, the judges said she was “known all over Haiti for challenging prejudice against people with physical and intellectual disabilities”.
Ms Heraty has won numerous other awards including the Oireachtas Human Dignity Award, the UL Alumni Award for Outstanding Contribution to Humanity, the Michael Davitt International Award at the Mayo People of the Year Awards and a People of the Year Award.
In November 2013, she survived a brutal assault at the orphanage complex that left one of her colleagues dead. Two men, one armed with a hammer, attempted to rob the centre.
Ms Heraty was punched and hit a number of times with the hammer before retreating to a nearby bedroom to protect some of the children. When her colleague Edward Major tried to intervene, the attackers turned on him, striking several times with the hammer. He died of his injuries.
Ms Heraty, who described the attack as “absolutely brutal”, eventually managed to get away from her attackers after some of the children came to her rescue.
In an interview with The Irish Times in 2022, she said she had no intention of leaving Haiti despite escalating gang violence, water shortages and the threat of being kidnapped.
“The children are why I’m still here. We’re in this together,” she said at the time.
