By
Natacha Desir, Child Advocate
Ecleziasse* is a 16 year-old boy who lives in
Port-au-Prince with his father and his stepmother.
I met him last summer
when I was in his neighborhood, looking out for children in restavek to invite
into our program. When I first saw him I was shocked; I could not believe a
child could look so skinny, dirty, and unhealthy. He shared his story with me and told me how his
stepmother treated him. His story was very difficult; he was doing all of the
household chores, including fetching water from far away, washing all of the
dishes, doing laundry for everyone in the house, and helping the child of his
stepmother with her lessons. He himself
was not in school; before his father met his stepmother, he had been in public
school, but after they met, she decided not to send him to school. Above all, he was not eating very well, was
abused, and his father didn’t really care about him.
He took time to explain in
detail how he felt, how he wanted to go to school, his desire to find his
mother, and how he wanted to leave the house but he didn’t have anyone who could
help him with his problems. His words
touched me as I listened to his painful story.
I thought about how strong he was, waiting to find hope. I invited Ecleziasse into our Child Advocacy
Program, and helped him enroll in school that September.
Ecleziasse is now a
different person. I visit him and the
other children each week at school, and every time I see him I am filled with
joy. I see him laughing and playing with
other children. What pleases me even
more is seeing the way his mindset has changed, how he has become more
confident not only in himself, but in life.
His strength to live has returned.
He found what he needed to continue living; he found hope.
*Name has been changed to
protect child’s privacy.
