By Francoise Leon, Child Advocate
My story is about Mirlande*, a child who has been in our program since July 2013. She is a 16 year-old girl and is in the 3rd grade. Mirlande used to live with her mother and little sister in Port-au-Prince. However her mother’s financial situation was very strained; food was rare at home, and her mother could not send her or her sister to school. One day, her mother asked the child’s father to take Mirlande because she did not have the necessary means to take care of her. Her father lives in Port-au-Port with his wife, and did not want his wife to know he has two children with another woman. So instead, he sent Mirlande to live with his sister in restavek. Although he has a job, he never brings anything to Mirlande, and he seldom visits or talks to her.
She feels she is not important to her father, since her father refuses to bring her into his home, and this is very hard for her to accept. It has caused her to have low self-esteem. Her aunt never paid her school tuition, which is why Mirlande is so behind in school. At home she is responsible for all of the chores, and is not treated well at all.
Mirlande is very courageous; even though she has many chores to do, she still takes school seriously. She sees it as an opportunity to learn, make friends, get outside the house and be able to experience new things. She is so happy to be back at school this fall, because she feels free when she’s not at home.
My biggest satisfaction is to see how I have impacted her life; she can now think about making her dreams a reality. She is proud of herself and hopes that one day, when she becomes a nurse, her father will finally accept her as his child.
I hope all children will be considered valuable and be treated well in society very soon.
If you would like to support a child like Mirlande, please visit www.restavekfreedom.org/childsponsorship.
*Name has been changed to protect the child’s privacy
