NH nurse kidnapped in Haiti, a St. Thomas graduate, in prayers of Dover school community
DOVER — The St. Thomas Aquinas High School community is uniting in prayer for Alix Dorsainvil, the New Hampshire nurse kidnapped in Haiti along with her daughter. Dorsanvil is a graduate of the Dover Catholic school.
Over a week has passed since Dorsainvil, a 2010 graduate of St. Thomas, and her daughter were taken by armed men from the Port-au-Prince facility used by El Roi Haiti, a religious and humanitarian aid nonprofit, according to Associated Press reports. American officials are working to safely locate the two. She is a resident of Middleton, New Hampshire, according to AP reports.
The kidnapping, which led to protests outside the El Roi campus, happened Thursday, July 27, according to the organization.
“We are at the one-week mark of Alix and her daughter’s kidnapping,” El Roi posted earlier this week. “Many tears have been shed this week but we, together with our team, are working and praying continuously to bring them home safely, and we continue to hold onto hope. We are so thankful for the very knowledgeable and experienced professionals God has brought together to complete the task of securing their freedom.”
St. Thomas Aquinas is invited graduates of the school’s Class of 2010, along with current students, staff, alumni and school community members, to a private mass on Saturday evening in Somersworth. School chaplain Father Andrew Nelson was scheduled to lead the service at St. Martin Church.
“This Mass is an opportunity to prayerfully come together as a faith community and to ask God for continued safety and well being of STA alumna Alix, and her daughter, given the recent events in Haiti,” the school shared in an Instagram post.
El Roi Haiti, home to El Roi Academy and Institution Mixte Vwatizang Ayisyen Yo, stated Dorsainvil became a school nurse at the Christian ministry in 2020, then married El Roi Haiti founder Sandro Dorsainvil the next year.
As a college student, she took her first trip to Haiti in the wake of the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, later returning to the country during breaks and summers.
“Once she started working as a nurse she would save money and then self-fund all of her trips to Haiti, going as often as she could. 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,” El Roi Haiti wrote. “She seeks people out to show them love and compassion, and no one is excluded from receiving her kindness.”
In the backdrop of Dorsainvil and her daughter’s kidnapping is a country grappling with unrelenting gang-related violence. The United Nations reported in mid-March that since the new year started, 531 people had been killed, with another 300 people injured and 277 others kidnapped, all of it mainly occurring in Port-au-Prince.
Diane Foley advocates for Alix Dorsainvil
Diane Foley, mother of slain New Hampshire journalist James Foley, understands firsthand the anguish Dorsainvil's loved ones are experiencing.
Working as a freelance war correspondent, James Foley was on assignment in northern Syria when he was taken captive by Islamic State extremists on Nov. 22, 2012. He was then murdered in Syria in August 2014, with the video of his beheading posted online.
Diane Foley is now nationally and globally know for running the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation to advocate for hostages and people abducted overseas. Locally, the Rochester community center is named after James Foley.
"We are very concerned about Alix and her young daughter, and we know these hits close to home for people here in New Hampshire," Diane Foley said. "I know the government is on the case. Senator (Jeanne) Shaheen is proving more and more to be a champion for these causes. I know it's hard to prioritize one life, but really, they are all so important."
She added that the world has become a very lawless place.
"People like Alix know the risks," she said. "Still, they are so dedicated they continue to do their jobs, at great personal risk."
Kidnapping led to 'do not travel' notice
The U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory the same day of Dorsainvil and her daughter’s kidnapping, detailing civil unrest, frequent kidnapping of U.S. citizens and other crimes.
The level four “do not travel” advisory notes the department ordered the departure of family members of U.S. government employees and non-emergency U.S. government employees from Haiti.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State shared a prepared statement Thursday with Seacoast Media Group.
“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 statement reads. “We are aware of reports of the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Haiti and we are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. Government interagency partners.”
Reporter Karen Dandurant contributed to this story. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: St. Thomas prays for NH nurse Alix Dorsainvil kidnapped in Haiti
