Police officials negotiating with the kidnappers of a Montreal woman who has been abducted in Haiti say that she is still alive.

Nadia Lefebvre, 32, was kidnapped early Wednesday morning from her home in Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. UN police say five men burst into her home and are now demanding a ransom for her return.

She was working as a non-medical volunteer on a three-month internship program for Medecins du Monde and had just arrived in Haiti on May 14 to join the program for the summer, as part of her studies for an MBA at the University of Sherbrooke.

UN police spokesperson Fred Blaise told CTV Newsnet Thursday afternoon that Haitian investigators have made contact with the kidnappers and negotiations are underway.

"We know that she is alive and that she is safe, but a ransom demand has been made," Blaise said.

He noted that the kidnapping doesn't appear to be political. Instead, Blaise told CTV, "it's purely financial" and it looks like the kidnappers just want money.

He wouldn't divulge further details.

Haitian police say the anti-kidnap task force, which deals with two or three such incidents each week, has been in touch with Lefebvre and they report that she is in good condition.

In the past, several joint UN-Haitian police investigations into kidnappings have been resolved and arrests made.

"(Police) said they should have a resolution to the kidnapping very fast," Nicolas Bergeron, president of Medecins du Monde Canada told CTV Newsnet from Montreal.

Bergeron said this is the first incident of its kind for Medecins du Monde in Haiti. The group has been working in the country for roughly 10 years.

"Our organization has always taken very seriously security. So yes, it is a surprise to us and we couldn't see it coming for sure," Bergeron said.

Bergeron said his organization's mission in Haiti will continue despite Lefebvre's abduction.

A University of Sherbrooke official told reporters the school had warned Lefebvre against going to Haiti. But she was determined to help residents in the impoverished country.

"Nadia was very enthusiastic about volunteering for us and we think our mission is very much relevant," Bergeron said.

"I don't think we are going to change any plans regarding the deployment of activities out there."

Bergeron said Canadian authorities are also involved in the case.

Lefebvre's family says she sent an email on Friday stating that things in Haiti were going well for her, but they haven't heard from her since.

The business of kidnapping

Blaise said at least 139 people have been kidnapped in Haiti since January -- 10 per cent more than over the first five months of last year

In a country where a majority of residents can not afford enough food and live on salaries of less than US$200 per year, kidnappings are a major criminal activity.

Members of the Haiti's numerous armed gangs, which are often politically affiliated, target foreign aid workers and dignitaries in hopes of extracting large ransoms.

The United Nations force in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is often called to respond to such kidnappings and has been blamed by Haitians for deaths in the attempts to arrest kidnappers.