When Jackson introduces himself, he speaks with quiet humility. Since 2020, he has served as Restavek Freedom’s Justice Training Coordinator in Les Cayes, working alongside and partnering with 39 local churches to shift the cultural acceptance around abusive practices toward children.
For Jackson, the mission is deeply personal. As a young child, he lived with his uncle and endured treatment that left deep emotional wounds. “Sometimes, I would come home from school and I could tell food had been prepared, but they never left any for me,” he recalls. “I would come home and all the dishes would be washed, like nothing was ever cooked.” Those memories of neglect now fuel his commitment to protecting children in living in vulnerable situations. “I am always looking for ways to support children.”
When he joined Restavek Freedom, he felt like he had found his true purpose, his place in this world, as he describes. “I am working with an organization whose mission is aligned with the one that is in my own heart.”
The community-wide transformation Jackson has witnessed through Justice Training is surmount. He specifically recalls the testimony of one woman in 2021 who broke down in tears during a session. She admitted she had treated a child in her home with cruelty, forcing the child into the corner of the main living room, her face toward the wall. She withheld both food and affection from her. By the third week of the training, she realized the harm she had caused this child, and committed to changing. Stories like hers, Jackson affirms, is evidence of the program’s impact.
When he teaches, Jackson draws directly from his own past experiences. He reminds participants that no person is greater than another. “Psalm 15 says we should not mistreat those who look like us, and everyone looks alike because we are God’s creation. We have no right to mistreat other people.”
But the impact extends far beyond these training sessions. Graduating churches continue to teach congregations how to treat others with dignity, how to implement responsible family planning, and how to identify and prevent children from being forced into restavek. While some of these practices may seem standard, especially within the context of a faith-based institution, years of cultural acceptance of the restavek system has only perpetuated the issue, even in the church.
In Gelee, for example, the community has implemented what they’ve learned in the training sessions and taken it upon themselves to ensure every child is in school. “They protect the children in their community without exception,” Jackson says.
The work has also had a significant impact on Jackson’s life. “Before, if I saw a child being mistreated, I might say something, but I wouldn’t go too far out of my way. Now, everything in me wants to protect children.” Recently, he chased down a speeding motorcycle driver transporting a child to school. When he caught up with the driver, he urged him to slow down, emphasizing how his reckless behavior was endangering his small passenger. “It is our duty to protect these children.” The driver heard what he had to say, and Jackson watched him drive away, at a slower speed than when he first met him.
Looking ahead, Jackson’s personal vision mirrors that of Restavek Freedom: “We dream of a day when Haiti has no more children in restavek. A country where children don’t have to live with anyone other than their own families, where parents have the power to raise the number of children they can care for, and where people are educated to know that the children today will one day replace them in society. We must treat them very well.”
He remains hopeful. “If Restavek Freedom continues this work, if people continue to support the organization, and if other organizations join with this same mission, I am confident a day will come when Haiti is without restavek.”