A Dedication of Love

By Nick Lyndon, Chief
Operation Officer

“The reason I want to talk to you about the house, is
because it means so much to me…” explained Rosena*. “I have people who love me…
I can say they are my family. Your family is not those who have the same blood,
but those who take good care of you.”

As I sat and listened to Rosena share, I was struck by how
fortunate I was to witness this small miracle. Rosena is a beautiful young
woman who has been in a Restavek Freedom transitional home since she was taken
out of her life in restavek. Her story is a hard one, as is the story of every
child in restavek. Many of these children are working long hours, abused, and
taught in direct and indirect ways that they don’t matter…that they are alone.

But on this day, surrounded by her family of sisters and
caregivers, it was hard to imagine that her life would hold anything other than
hope and promise. Articulate, strong, and full of laughter, she was helping dedicate
Restavek Freedom’s second transitional home.
Rosena emulated the reason we had gathered from all across Haiti and the
United States in this little town in the south of the island. She represents
the story of hope and love we want all children to experience.

During the dedication ceremony, Pastor Bilda, our Director
of Church and Community Mobilization, shared with us the urgent need to address
this issue of child slavery in Haiti. His passion for ending the restavek
system is contagious, and he gave an impassioned defense of our belief that we
can end this practice in our lifetime [read more]. By working and fighting together, he believes we can see a new
Haiti without the restavek system.

Our Transitional Home Director, Adeline Bien-Amie, also
shared why her heart is so passionate. She expressed how precious these girls
are, and why she treats them as family. She
knows what it is like to have to live in someone else’s home and work for them,
and now she provides a sense of belonging for the girls in our homes.

It was a moving ceremony as we celebrated this new home and
all those who made it possible through their support and service. I believe we all left with hearts a little
warmer as Rosena concluded, “On behalf of all the girls, I want to thank you
all for building this beautiful house.
If this house is possible today, it’s because of you.”