An Intervention for Change

By Robenson Saint-Hilaire, Child Advocate

After her mother passed away in the
2010 earthquake, Islande* went to live with a woman who had been her mother’s
friend. While the beginning of her time in this new home was okay, over time
the situation began to worsen.  Among
other things, Islande began to have difficulty getting to school because her
host parents could not send her.

One day, Islande came to me with
tears in her eyes to talk with me about her situation and how she would like to
go to school. Throughout our conversation, I could see how much she wanted to
go to school, and how bad her situation was with her host family.  A week later I went to visit her at home and
verify the information she had given me during our meeting.  Immediately, I saw that her situation was not
good, and Restavek Freedom accepted her into the Child Advocacy Program.  The organization now pays for her to go to
school, and also provides her with nutritional support each month.

Islande was mistreated by her host
family, but after I had a home visit with her, I was able to help her host
parents understand the negative consequences of poor treatment on a child’s
development. As a result of this intervention, Islande’s host parents really
changed their behavior and began to treat her differently. Islande came to
thank me for helping with this intervention and all that I have done to help
her.  She told me that since the
intervention, her host parents have treated her well and she is very
happy.  Now when I see Islande at school,
she is always happy. She is no longer alone and away from everyone else, but
rather smiling with her friends.  She is
doing very well in school, and always gets good grades. I am delighted to have
made a difference in the life of Islande. Hers is the kind of case that inspires
us each day, the kind of case in which a child is able to find their smile and
desire to live.

Would you like to help a child like Islande? Go to restavekfreedom.org/take-action to learn how you can get involved!

*Name has been changed to protect
child’s privacy.