Dream Big

Jannice is an adolescent girl that lives in a shelter made by the people in her neighborhood in Leogane. Her mother and her father are separated and she lives with her mother. This beautiful young woman reached the 9th grade and was forced to discontinue her education due to the inability of her family to pay her tuition. Her father, who worked in a bakery, had an accident. While he was passing the dough in the grinder, it took his fingers and left him with just the thumb and the little finger. As a result, he no longer had a job.

Jannice’s mother had a car accident that crushed her feet rendering her unable to walk. Thanks to God, she now can walk but she does not have a job. She is pictured above with the purse under her arm.

I met with Jannice and recruited her in our educational program last year so she could continue to go to school. The problem she had was that her birth certificate was being held by the last school she attended until she paid them 2,000 GD ($50. USD). Neither her father nor her mother would be able to pay this money. Since a birth certificate is required to take the state exam she would not qualify. Jannice became discouraged and decided not to continue to go to school. She assumed that since she’s not taking the state exam, going to school was a waste of time and money. The director of the School where I had placed her tried his best to help her. Finally, her mother borrowed 2,000 gourdes from a neighbor and she was able to pay the old school in order to receive the birth certificate. As the deadline given by the Ministere de L’education Nationale (The state department of the national Education) had reached its end, the school director contacted someone to enlist their help and they were able to help add her name to the list of students that would take the exam.

I am so happy we were able to help. Because Restavek Freedom took the responsibility to help her continue to go to school, she now has hope and can focus on her dreams to become someone with great value in the future.

I made a home visit with Jannice to encourage her to go back to school and to let her know that the director and I are working on her case in order for her to be able to take the state exam. When I arrived, her grandmother bowed down on her knees to thank me because I took the girl’s case into consideration. I felt so deeply touched by that. I wept inside and I took her hands and had her stand up while letting her know it’s a privilege that we have to help the ones God wants to help through education and other. Her mother was speechless and she felt if she could she would carry me on her head. But I let her understand all glory belongs to God and to God only. The good news is, Jannice took the state exam and she passed it. Now she is in 3rd grade secondary.

This is something that I realize: Thanks to the Restavek Freedom’s educational program, many domestic children in Haiti have a chance, an opportunity to view life different, have a better understanding of what it’s all about and enough audacity to dream big.

Osbert Victor, Child Advocate