Welcome New Child Advocate, Mathia

We asked her to share her experience joining the team in Haiti.  Here’s what she had to say!

Restavek Freedom is a great organization seeking to support children in Haiti. They put special emphasis on the quality treatment they provide children as they fight to remove them from the restavek system.  Just like others who fight for the rights of children, I want to work hard and do everything I can to sensitize people to the treatment of children so that the restavek system ends in this country.

I am especially eager to work as an advocate for children.  I have worked with children for the past eight years, and it is something I sincerely love to do.  I am really happy I can apply my experience working with children to Restavek Freedom.  I think of this work as ministry.  My goal is to help everyone become aware of the ways children should be treated.   I want all to see that children have the same rights as everyone else.  They have blood flowing in their veins; they have feelings, dreams, a right to go to school, a right to be respected, and a right to enjoy the same freedom everyone else wants and deserves.  I want to see every child in Haiti removed from the restavek system and become an important citizen of their country.

It is not always to adapt to a new job. But the first week I arrived here, I found myself adapting quickly.  By the time school started, I felt ready to take on my new job.  The staff offices were filled with so many school supplies when I showed up the first day:  backpacks, books, notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, and more.  I was so happy to organize these supplies and get them ready to give to the kids in our program.  This was a wonderful time for me as I got to see so many children be given school supplies and be able to go to school.

I still have a lot to learn as a child advocate, but already after having been here a month, I have already seen the impact I can have on these children.  Take one boy named Antoine, who I have already gotten to know.  Just the other day he told me, “You know Mathia, I love this program so much because I feel so valuable; people talk to me and play with me…..before I was hopeless, but now I can go to school and become who I want to be in the future!”