Robert is 22 years old. While he is no longer a child, he is still in our program and his story is one of success.
Twelve years ago during the summer, Robert was sent to Carrefour Feuilles to live with one of his aunts. He was 11 years old at the time. He did all the chores in the home: laundry, cleaning, dishes, cooking, fetch water, and going to the market. He did it all without complaining because his aunt promised that he will be in school the next school year. She didn’t keep her promise. He spent 5 years without going to school, staying home and working from morning til night. One day a friend of his told him about some people in the area that sent children living in restavek to school. Robert didn’t believe his friend, but he went to meet the people anyway. The person he met was a Child Advocate for Restavek Freedom. He didn’t tell his aunt about the meeting until he was enrolled in school…he didn’t believe he would actually get to go back to school after five years!
Now, six year later, Robert is only two years away from graduating! He says that for him, one of the best days of his life was when he met with the person who told him that he will go to school. “What Restavek Freedom did for me is not only send me to school, but they removed six years of shame and humiliation”. He is sure he will become a great person. He is motivated in his learning in spite of his living situation. He keeps fighting, because when he felt that everything was over, when he had lost all hope, he found a hope through education that will change his life forever.
Natacha Desir, Child Advocate
Would you like to learn more about our Child Advocacy program? Visit our website at restavekfreedom.org.
