Haitians in Mass. worry as violence on the island nation gets worse

Massachusetts has the third-largest community of Haitian immigrants in the United States. The population has grown over the last couple of years, as there's been a surge of people fleeing Haiti.

Recently, the turmoil in the tiny island nation has gotten worse. Gangs have taken over, amid calls for the prime minister to step down. Airports, schools and the shipping port are closed.

Carline Desire came to Massachusetts from Haiti in the 1970s. She founded and directs the Association of Haitian Women in Boston, which works to empower Haitian women through different programs and classes.

Speaking with WBUR's All Things Considered, Desire said she's in close contact with women from the group, along with women and their families who recently arrived here, as they watch the situation in Haiti from afar.