“I thank you for the summer camp you provided that gave me the opportunity to learn so much!’’
Mythania’s words are echoed by more than 300 other children who each experienced a summer of freedom and fun through the summer camp you helped make possible! Thank you for so generously donating to give these children a place where they can feel safe, loved, and valued.
Daniel Fontil, a Child Advocate who helped organize the camps, shared, “Thanks to you, children in our program had the chance to forget three weeks of hard daily labor at home and instead were able to learn, play, and relax at the camp. Their time at summer camp was important and unforgettable for them because of the relationships they made and what they learned.”
The summer camps were a huge success, and were full of making crafts and jewelry, decorating t-shirts, learning French and English, studying, reading, playing soccer, and making new friends. We loved to see them dance, smile, clap and sing.
You also provided an enjoyable, nutritious meal for them each day, in a loving environment. One child shared a sentiment expressed by many of the children:
“When you give us food, you even serve it to us. You treat us like we matter.”
What a difference a little bit of love and encouragement makes! Their smiles say it all. You made that possible.
We are regularly asked why we don’t remove these children from their situations if they are in a form of modern day slavery. In the worst instances of abuse, we do remove them and place them in a Transitional Home. However, in order to reach as many children as possible, we often work with children still in their current living situation. If you remove a child from a home, there is no guarantee another child won’t simply replace them. However, if we work to change the perspective of “host families”, improve the lives of these children, and end the practice of restavek altogether, a real solution is possible. That is what we want to see!
Through opportunities like Summer Camp you provide these children the hope and relief they need, and you help them build relationships with their classmates and other children in their homes. By allowing the families they live with to see these children as loved, cared for, and treated as humans, together we are able to help transform their reality so they receive better treatment, an education, and a safe place to learn and try new things without fear of abuse if they make a mistake. They have the chance to be a child around people who believe in them.
As one of the children in our program, Caroline, shared, “All students must be free to attend school and have the opportunity to build a better future.” You are making that possible for Caroline and many more!
Thank you for your support of the summer camp and for joining us in ending child slavery in Haiti in our lifetime. You are truly transforming the lives of the most vulnerable children in our world today. You are helping create a brighter future!
