By Natalie Hagan, Exhibit/Special Projects Coordinator
E.M. Forster believed that “one person with passion is better than forty people merely interested”. I’ve seen this to be true in a man named Paul McGuiness. The passion of this ONE man has led many others to join the fight to end child slavery in Haiti.
Three years ago, Paul began taking trips to Haiti. Believing three primary ways to impact the lives of others included building relationships, standing up for justice, and showing compassion, he invited others to come with him on these trips. Initially, these trips involved installing water wells in rural communities. Returning home from one trip in 2012, Paul attended a justice conference where he learned about different social injustices across the world. Among these was the plight of the restavek system in Haiti.
Paul learned about Restavek Freedom at this conference, and how they stand up for the voiceless. He felt compelled to partner with Restavek Freedom by leading teams to work with the girls at the Transitional Home in Haiti. Each person who joined Paul on a trip realized they needed to come back and get the rest of the church involved. They found a creative way to do this.
Every year Paul’s church holds a special event to watch the Super Bowl together. That year, instead of watching the halftime show, they shared with everyone attending the event about Restavek Freedom. They explained how there are 300,000 child domestic workers in Haiti, many of whom are part of the restavek system. They described passionately their plan to join the fight against this injustice.
In the months that followed, this impassioned group worked together to raise awareness, funds and commitment cards to support Restavek Freedom. At the end of February, 250 students held a 30-hour fast which included an interactive exhibit about “A Day in the Life of a Restavek.” A Restavek Freedom Child Advocate shared about life in Haiti, as well as life-changing stories of children who have been through the Child Advocacy Program. As a result of this initiative and the passionate students of Parker Hill church, they were able to sponsor 20 children from the Child Advocacy Program.
To this day, Paul and the students from his church continue to partner with Restavek Freedom and travel to Haiti. ONE man had a passion for fighting child slavery, which led him to action and resulted in impacting more lives that he could have imagined.
Would you like to impact a child’s life and be part of ending the Restavek system in Haiti? Consider joining us today! Visit restavekfreedom.org/take-action to learn how you can be part of ending child slavery in Haiti.
