Schools Not Slavery for Rural Haitian Children

Your Generosity Supports Expanding to Protect More Children in Haiti; 33 Girls and Boys Reunited with Family

Thank you for your generous support for Beyond Borders’ Schools Not Slavery initiative. More girls and boys in Haiti are growing up free, safe, at home with their families, and enrolled in a good local school, thanks to you and so many like you who care.

In challenging times in Haiti, your solidarity and generosity is making a difference – expanding work to protect more children from forced servitude, neglect, and abuse.

Seventy-Two New Child Rights Training Groups Launched Across Haiti

This past quarter – October through December 2022 – your generosity made so many good things possible, including the launch of new Child Rights Training groups on Lagonav Island and in an entirely new region in Haiti’s Artibonite Valley

Thanks to supporters like you – and a generous grant from the Hilton Foundation – Beyond Borders Child Protection Team launched a new partnership with the Congregation of the Religious of Jesus and Mary (RJM), based in the community of Gros Morne, in the Artibonite.

A total of 97 people (39 women, 58 men) took part in the initial training on social mapping and wealth ranking – the initial step Beyond Borders takes when beginning work in a community, to determine local strengths, weaknesses, and the most at-risk children and families.

Child Rights Training Groups Enroll 480 People in Region New to Beyond Borders

Beyond Borders also trained 16 people in Gros Morne (9 women, 11 men) on how to be a facilitator of a Child Rights Dialogue Group. These new facilitators began the work of community outreach to enroll participants in dialogue groups. In total, 32 Child Rights Dialogue Groups were created in the four communities that make up Gros Morne, with a total of 480 people enrolled at present.

Lagonav Child Rights Training Groups Enroll 363 New Members in 21 New Communities

And on Lagonav Island, where Child Rights Training is well-established, 21 new communities have joined the movement to end child slavery. Twenty-eight residents (13 women, 15 men) participated in a four-day Child Rights methodology training in order to become facilitators for dialogue groups to be created in their communities. Of the 28, seven were also certified as trainers-of-trainers, now equipped with skills to train new facilitators and provide support to other facilitators.

A total of 23 Dialogue Groups in 21 communities were established, with an enrollment of 363 people (272 women, 91 men).

Thirty-Three Children (19 Girls, 14 Boys) Returned Home in Two Communities

In Haiti’s Central Plateau, Beyond Borders is working with our partners at PDL – the Partnership for Local Development – to implement Child Rights Training. In the last quarter, 33 children were brought home thanks to Child Rights Training graduates like Monise.

Here’s testimony from Monise, relayed to us from a PDL staff member who spoke with her.

After participating in the Child Rights Dialogue Group in her community, Monise noticed a significant change in her home life, particularly with how she now treats her children and how she sees the treatment of other children. With her new-found knowledge and understanding of the fundamental rights that children have, Monise is now an advocate for children in her community.

She shared how, in her community, there were a lot of children not living at home with their parents, but that this has now changed since the completion of the child rights training. She has noticed a positive impact especially with parents who had sent their children away to live with others. For example, her own brother and sister had sent children away, but with Monise’s advice, guidance and support, both were able to bring their children home again.

Many parents decided to bring their children home. A number of these parents struggled to send their children to school, but Monise and community members intervened and helped to get the children enrolled in school. Monise shared about one child in particular – an 8-year-old girl, who returned home but who was not able to go to school. Monise mobilized another community member to help. Together they collected funds and approached the school director to see if he would accept the girl at the school. He agreed, so they purchased a school uniform while the school director agreed to provide the school books.

Today Monise talks about how proud she is of her community – she believes that there is not a parent in her community who would consider sending their children away. She continues to play a key role in her community to ensure that children’s rights are respected.

Your Generous Support Made Even More Child Protection Work Possible

Here’s a look at some of the other Child Protection work that your support helped make possible this past quarter:

• 11 adult survivor network members in two urban communities on Lagonav were trained in Ti Rankont Sektè (TRS)*, launching 22 new TRS groups in their communities with 207 participants (187 women, 117 men)
• 94 adult survivors (60 women, 34 men) from two urban communities on Lagonav were trained in the Open Space** methodology
• 22 adult survivors (14 women, 8 men) from four urban branches of the Adult Survivors on Lagonav participated in a capacity development workshop on a variety of subjects including villages savings and loans, advocacy techniques, and organizational structure and management
• 7 adult survivor branches in metropolitan Port-au-Prince organized various advocacy and awareness raising activities to commemorate the National Day to End the Practice of Restavèk (Child Servitude) and World Children’s Rights Day
• 5 urban and seven rural Lagonav psycho-social therapy groups made up of adult survivors of child slavery continued to meet to talk through issues related to their past experiences
• 61 children received school supplies and materials from the Child Protection Brigade in their community on Lagonav

*TRS is a nine-session child rights training series that works to ensure increased participation from diverse sectors of society like churches, Vodou temples, women’s organizations, and school personnel. TRS is used in addition to Child Rights Training, which requires a commitment to a 22-week session training program.

** Open Space is a technique for running meetings where the participants create and manage the agenda themselves. This method is ideal if you want participants to gain ownership of an issue and come up with solutions.

Your Generosity is Making Nonviolent, Native Language Education Available to More Students

Your generosity is also continuing to support the development of a Communal Education Platform on Lagonav Island. The platform is engaging key education stakeholders, including local government, the Ministry of Education, local schools, and community leaders in the work to  guarantee universal access to quality education on Lagonav.

Keeping children in school is one of the best ways to ensure that they aren’t sent away to live with others, where they face a heightened risk of being abused and exploited in household servitude.

Beyond Borders’ primary education partner on Lagonav Island, the Matènwa Community Learning Center (MCLC) continues to work with schools to improve the quality of education being offered to children on Lagonav Island. Their two-year teacher training program supports schools to integrate new methods and approaches to deliver primary education in Haitian Creole that is participatory, nonviolent, and rooted in local culture.

The seven schools that entered the program in FY2022 and that are supported with funding from Beyond Borders – made possible by you – are in the second year of the training program.

Here’s a look at some of the other work to guarantee universal quality education that your support helped make possible this past quarter:

• 6 General Assemblies were held with six branches of the Communal Education Platform with 124 participants (100 men, 24 women)
• 23 schools in seven communal sections received visits from Ministry of Education Inspectors, facilitated in part by Beyond Borders
• 7 schools were visited by Beyond Borders Education Consultant (342 students – 140 girls, 202 boys are attending these seven schools)
• 27 school visits (12 pedagogically-oriented and 15 school garden-oriented) took place with seven partner schools
• 9 schools received Mother Tongue book materials for students to use to write their own stories about their own lives, in Haitian Creole
• 7 schools received didactic training materials
• 15 school staff (teachers and school directors) participated in two training workshops on school administration, classroom management, classroom preparation, literacy, compost preparation for school gardens, and techniques for locally storing seeds

Thank You Again

I am grateful for all the good work that you are making possible through your support for the Schools Not Slavery initiative. Thank you again for your extraordinary generosity and solidarity. If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please call or write to me anytime at (305) 450-2561 or b.stevens@beyondborders.net.

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Your Generous Support is Organizing Adult Survivors, Parents, Teachers, and Local Elected Officials to End Child Slavery. 

Thanks to you and your generous support, the movement to end child slavery is increasingly visible, vibrant and active.  The critical mass of people whose beliefs and behaviors about the rights of children are changing is growing. Thank you for making this kind of growth possible!

As more people from all walks of life become child rights activists, communities become united in a desire to see an end to violence; more cases of alleged abuse and exploitation are exposed; and, more adult survivors are becoming leaders in the movement to end child slavery.

Significant Progress in Changing How People Think About the Rights of Children

A Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey to measure progress in protecting the rights of children was carried out in 28 communities on Lagonav. While the data is still being analyzed, initial reports indicate significant progress in the change of knowledge and attitudes around children’s rights among participating communities. The Survivor-Activists of the Adult Survivors of Restavèk Network are playing a key role in this effort.  

From Survivor to Activist Organizing to End Child Slavery

After new adult survivors were recruited through community-based campaigns, meetings were held to start the process of transformation from survivor to activist.  A series of meetings are held to start conversations about what the restavèk practice really is (on a social, economic, legal level), how to start dealing with the trauma and shame associated with having lived that experience, what rights all children have, and how to start talking about ways to join collective action for change.

Psycho-social group activities with a Beyond Borders social worker also supported Survivor-Activists (newly recruited and veteran members) to continue working through their individual and collective experiences of restavèk.

Your Generosity Supports the Work of 23 Adult Survivor Network Branches

Thanks to you and your generous support, Survivor-Activists from 23 network branches covering 23 communities organized various community-based activities to commemorate special international rights days, such as International Women’s Day (March), International Child Rights Day (June), and the anniversary of the ratification of the anti-human trafficking law in Haiti (June). These included conference-debates, press conferences and press releases.

Beyond Borders – with your support – continues to work closely with the Coordination Committee of the eight survivor branches in Port-au-Prince to develop and strengthen its capacity as a truly democratic structure that is actively engaging communities to end violence against children and end the restavèk practice.

In addition to training, prior to the start of this project, Beyond Borders created a shared, furnished administrative workspace where coordination members can work on developing administrative, financial and activity planning and management skills. Members of the committee use the workspace on a weekly basis to work on action plans (including campaigning, training, communications), finance and narrative reports.

Survivor-Activists Taking the Lead

Beyond Borders staff have noticed a significant change in the ability of the committee and network branches to function independently; previously, Beyond Borders staff were responsible for all of these elements in order for the network to operate. This has meant that Survivor-Activities in metropolitan Port-au-Prince have remained active throughout the reporting period despite the socio-political challenges and violence.

Strengthening Ties with Haitian Social Services

Thanks to your generosity, Beyond Borders psycho-social officer made significant progress towards a long-desired partnership with mainland authorities from Haitian Social Services.  This has been a long, challenging process that is finally producing results. Several trips to Lagonav organized and subsidized by Beyond Borders led to the success in accrediting host (a.k.a. foster) families for children freed from slavery, and training Beyond Borders staff to be an accredited host family training organization.  Beyond Borders certification will foster relationships, build capacity and expand social services/support for island communities and at-risk groups. Haitian Social Services and Beyond Borders are preparing to sign a formal partnership agreement.

A Look at More of the Work to Protect Children from Slavery and Abuse that You’ve Made Possible

Here’s a look at some of the child protection initiatives that you’ve made possible in 58 Haitian communities through your generosity:

• 9 Adult Survivors were trained to facilitate Education is a Conversation (ESK) Child Rights Training
• 37 Zero Restavèk Campaigns and Survivor Recruitment campaigns were conducted in 35 communities reaching 2,372 people
• 10 new branches, with a total of 250 members, of the Adult Survivors of Restavèk Network were inaugurated in 10 communities 
• 115 members of new Child Protection structures were trained in Child Development & Conflict Management
• 160 adult survivors from 9 branches participated in psycho-social support activities 
• 14 families were trained and accredited as pioneer, Welcoming Families on Lagonav island for children freed from slavery needing temporary, safe housing
• 235 community members trained by Survivor-Activists through local community meetings

Building The Movement to End Child Slavery Begins at the Community Level

Thanks to your generous support, Beyond Borders and our partners – including Survivor-Activists – are working directly with local communities to create awareness, mobilize people to join the movement, and advance the goal to end the restavèk practice. These local efforts are amplified when activists work strategically within their own communities to raise a collective voice for child rights, contributing to change on a local, regional, and national level.

With your support, Beyond Borders promotes communication between local governments and the communities they represent so authorities are better positioned to listen effectively to their constituents and work as allies to protect the rights of children. The more local authorities are engaged and consulted, the more they step up and take leadership roles in protecting children and ending violence and abuse.

Quarterly meetings with Beyond Borders staff, partners, movement leaders, and local authorities are held in areas where this approach is being implemented.  Objectives include sharing updates on activities, identifying successes and challenges, and bringing new perspectives and solutions for the next quarter/program phases.  Ad hoc, issue-specific meetings are also held as needed.

Community members engaged in various activities organized by Survivor-Activists, include dialogue sessions using the Open Space methodology. In addition to striking up conversations with neighbors, family and friends share what they are learning, sparking change in the way others treat children, Survivor-Activists help plan and carry out mobilization and awareness-raising activities in communities and neighborhoods including door-to-door “Zero Restavèk” Campaigns that involve direct conversations with community residents. Survivor-Activists also play a key role in identifying children in need of assistance and intervene in situations where children are in danger, being abused, or exploited.  

Leaders in the Adult Survivors of Child Slavery Network Share Their Stories

Three generations of Louismène’s family suffered in child slavery including her mother, her daughter and herself. A few years ago, Louismène was invited to join a group of Adult Survivors of Child Slavery (restavèk). With their support, she brought her daughter home. She ended the practice of child slavery in her own family. Today she helps other parents do the same. “I felt powerless when my daughter was away. I want to help other moms and dads so that they don’t send their children away to suffer like I did.”

As a survivor of child slavery, Louismène has found healing and hope through her connection with others who suffered similar experiences. Today, she is a member of a Child Protection Brigade, and eagerly awaits the inauguration of a new branch of the Adult Survivors of Restavèk Network in her community. She and the team are trained to intervene and stop parents from sending their children away into slavery. “When the team hears about a child that has been sent into child slavery, we go into the house to talk to the parents. We tell them what happened to us and convince them to bring the child back.”

Jadelle suffered, living in an abusive restavèk situation. When she was twelve, her father sent her to live with a woman who made her do all the housework and did not enroll her in school. Today as a local elected official and member of a Child Protection Brigade and a branch of the Adult Survivors of Restavèk Network, Jadelle is a true community leader. Jadelle is doing everything in her power to end the practice of child slavery.

“I know that I, myself can’t end child slavery. That’s why I am working with the other elected officials and survivors to make it happen.” When Jadelle was twelve, she was sent away to live with others; she ended up living in restavèk. She was forced to carry other children to school when she wasn’t enrolled in school herself. The people where she was living made her do all the housework. Today, she has children and grandchildren of her own. She joined a Child Protection Brigade to protect children from the practice of child slavery. “We go out in small groups to share what we as survivors know about child slavery. We go into churches and sometimes organize large gatherings. I do not want tomorrow’s children to suffer like I did.” 

The Impact of Haiti’s Current Political Crisis and Insecurity

Beyond Borders continued to deal with significant civil and political unrest and insecurity in Haiti. The prolonged and unresolved political crisis, the indefinite postponement of the elections and compounding challenges like kidnappings, the fuel crisis, and other societal pressures have made for significant challenges in our work. Gang activity, violence and unrest made travel to and from and in and around Port-au-Prince difficult, and at times impossible.

Movement between Lagonav Island and the mainland was often restricted to planes rather than road and boat due to elevated risks related to road travel. Port-au-Prince-based staff spent longer periods of time working on project objectives on Lagonav Island in coordination with the Lagonav-based team. Well-established Adult Survivors branches in Port-au-Prince have achieved a high-level of autonomy and independence, which allow them to continue functioning in their respective neighborhoods with remote support from Beyond Borders staff.  Beyond Borders investment in organizational capacity development, collective leadership, and activity planning and monitoring has proven to be a successful approach to sustainability especially in challenging times.

Thank You Again

I am grateful for all the good work that you are making possible through your support for the Schools Not Slavery initiative. Thank you again for your extraordinary generosity and solidarity. If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please call or write to me anytime at (305) 450-2561 or b.stevens@beyondborders.net.

Links:

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More Girls and Boys are Free, Safe, and Growing Up at Home Thanks to You

I am so grateful for your generous support for Beyond Borders’ Schools Not Slavery initiative. Thanks to your solidarity and generosity 142 children are back home with their families where they will grow up free, safe, and enrolled in a quality local school. Thank you again for making this life-changing work possible!

Your generous support also made it possible for 124 of the children to get follow-up care once they returned home, helping them reintegrate into their local communities – including getting them back in school.

Child Protection Brigade Trained With Your Support Demand Justice for 15-Year-Old Girl

Your geneous support is building the movement to end child slavery and violence and abuse against children. As more and more people become activists in the fight to end violence against children, and communities become united in a desire to see an end to such violence, more cases of alleged abuse and exploitation are being brought to light.

This January, someone approached the local Child Protection Brigade (CPB) in their community about the case of a 15-year-old girl who had been raped and was now pregnant. The CPB quickly mobilized, connecting with Beyond Borders (BB) and the local chapter of SASA!* activists. 

The alleged rapist was arrested and detained. BB’s psychologist on staff spent time with the child and her family, and BB helped the child seek medical attention. BB staff met with local authorities, CPB and SASA! activists to make plans to support the family – which was starting to receive external pressure from a former elected official close to the accused, to drop the charges. 

A community fundraiser was launched to collect funds to support the family and local authorities regularly met with the family to show their support too. Despite this, the State Prosecutor in charge of the case pressured the parents of the survivor, and the charges against the perpetrator were then dropped.

Upon learning this, the CPB and BB went to work to reverse this injustice. The CPB held a press conference, collected signatures on a petition and asked a partner human rights organization to send a letter to the Ministry of Justice and to the prosecutor in charge of the case, denouncing this behavior and demanding strict application of the law.

As a result, the State Prosecutor was taken off the case and transferred to another jurisdiction. The accused remains in police custody awaiting trial.

In Haiti’s dysfunctional and corrupt justice system, this was a big win for the survivor and her family, Child Protection Brigade activists, and local authorities on Lagonav working with Beyond Borders to change the way things are done on the island. Your generous support for Beyond Borders’ Child Rights Training makes this kind of victory possible. Thank you for your generosity and your solidarity.

*Created by our friends at Raising Voices, SASA! (Start, Awareness, Support, Action) is a ground-breaking, internationally-recognized model of community-mobilization to stop violence against women and the spread of HIV. Engaging all actors in the community — women, men, cultural and religious leaders, local officials, police, health-care providers — SASA! fosters critical reflection on gender and power and instigates local-level activism.

Establishing a Formal Partnership with Haiti’s Child Protection Agency

Thanks to your support for Beyond Borders’ Schools Not Slavery initiative, staff on our child protection team have been able to devote critical time and resources to cultivating a deeper relationship with Haitian Institute of Well-Being (IBESR) – the government’s child welfare agency. 

BB staff have facilitated travel to Lagonav by IBESR staff to work together on various priorities including training and certifying foster families, known as ‘Welcoming Families’, for at-risk/abused/exploited children needing temporary safe housing.

This has been a long, challenging process that is finally producing results. Sixteen families are ready to be trained with certification expected by the end of June. They will be the first foster families of their kind on the island and a critical component of the child protection movement on Lagonav.

The collaboration has deepened so much that IBESR would like to establish a formal partnership with BB, which will include accreditation for BB. There is currently no IBESR presence on Lagonav. Accreditation training for BB staff is planned for the end of June 2022. BB certification, plus a deeper relationship, will continue to build capacity and expand social services/support for island communities and at-risk groups. Thank you again for your support for the work of Beyond Borders’ Child Protection Team.

A Look at More of the Work to Protect Children from Slavery and Abuse that You’ve Made Possible

Here’s a look at some of the child protection initiatives that you’ve made possible through your generosity:

• 9 children experiencing violence got help  from Child Protection Brigades, including psycho-social support from BB staff
• 115 members of new Child Protection Brigades trained in Child Development and Conflict Management
• 202 adult survivors joined the Adult Survivors of Child Slavery Network, taking part in training designed to create new chapters of the survivor network
• 190 participants (177 women, 13 men) graduated from 12 rural Child Rights Training groups on Lagonav
• 258 participants (167 women, 91 men) from 22 urban Child Rights Training groups on Lagonav completed their activities and will celebrate their graduation in June
• 185 people (100 women, 85 men) participated in an Open Space session held by our partner PDL on what people can do to combat violence against children, girls, and women

A Leader in the Adult Survivors of Child Slavery Network Talks About Beyond Borders’ Impact in her Community

“Beyond Borders is a central pillar in our community. Especially in the Onavil community, as many people here are victims of child slavery and all kinds of other violence. As a member of the Network of Survivors, I have learned that child slavery victims, like me, despite being mentally scarred, are human beings and deserve justice and reparation. Thanks to Beyond Borders, there are many changes being made in the community of Onavil to protect other children from slavery, so that they do not fall victim to similar fate like us. Beyond Borders always helps us denounce the dishonest acts of the community against children and women who are often victims. Beyond Borders has also trained us to respond more adequately to victims of sexual and physical violence. Beyond Borders also supports us financially when we are doing community outreach activities. Beyond Borders has the utmost respect of everyone in the community because they support all of our efforts to end or prevent violence against children and women.” ~ Stephania, Secretary General of the Urban Adult Survivor Network

Your Generosity is Supporting Work to Expand Access to Quality Education for More Lagonav Children

Your generous gift is not only supporting work to improve the quality of education, it also is supporting work to increase access to education. Children who aren’t in school are at the highest risk of being sent away to live with another family and becoming enslaved.

The Communal Education Platform – launched by Beyond Borders –began carrying out surveys in four communal sections on Lagonav Island to determine the number of school-aged children not in school. These are children who either never enrolled in school or enrolled and dropped out. The surveys also seek to determine why a child is not in school. In some cases, the local Child Protection Brigades are also involved.

Initial data indicates that 137 children (42 girls and 95 boys) stopped going to school at some point in the school year that just ended and/or never started. Data collection and analysis continue to determine the reasons why. The Communal Platform has begun discussing initiatives and incentives to support schools willing to change policies and practices to allow for all children in their community to attend school.

Ministry of Education Promotes Non-Violent Classroom Management on Lagonav

Ministry of Education School Inspectors issued a new directive for all schools on the island prohibiting the use of corporal punishment. Nonviolent classroom management has long been championed and promoted by Beyond Borders and our primary education partner on Lagonav Island, the Matènwa Community Learning Center – thanks to you and your generous support for the Schools Not Slavery initiative.

School Inspectors, eager to develop capacity to support school leadership in the implementation of nonviolent classroom management techniques, are requesting training from BB and our partners at MCLC.

A Look at More of the Work to Guarantee Quality Primary Education that You’ve Made Possible

Here’s a look at some of the education initiatives that you’ve made possible through your generosity:

• 1,900 students, teachers, school staff, directors, and parents participated in community-awareness raising activities about nonviolent, quality education
• Seven schools hosted seven Open Space Dialogue Sessions to talk about ending violence in Schools; 350 people participated
• 154 people (25 women, 129 men) – including local authorities, school staff, parents, community leaders, and representatives of non-governmental organizations – attended General Assemblies held by the seven branches of the Communal Education Platform launched by Beyond Borders
• 23 schools from three communal sections are participating in friendly soccer tournaments
• Six school-aged children returned to school thanks to the advocacy efforts of the Education Platform
• One brand-new motorcycle was donated to the Ministry of Education on Lagonav for use by their school inspectors

A School Inspector Shares How the Work of Beyond Borders is Strengthening Education on Lagonav Island

“Before the collaboration between the Ministry of Education on Lagaonv and Beyond Borders, it was difficult to get parents, teachers, school directors, and local authorities to understand the many challenges we faced in the Ministry office. We function without any budget, without funds to organize meetings, for transportation etc. Beyond Borders is now supporting us to organize regular meetings with other stakeholders who care about education, and support us with the logistics of conducting school visits. This is starting to help others realize they can also play a role to support our work. It has also increased our capacity and the requests for visits/support from schools. Thanks to Beyond Borders’ support, we now have a brand new motorcycle (in the past we would ask others if they could provide us with old motorcycles that did not work so well). Our partnership is also encouraging others like the Mayor’s office, the private sector and other NGOs to work together with us. If I was asked to list all the ways this partnership is important for improving the education system on Lagaonv, I wouldn’t be able to stop talking. It is my wish that this partnership will continue and that we will grow the Communal Education Platform to cover the whole island with our work. Thank you!” ~ Louis, Chief School Inspector, Ministry of Education, Ansagale, Lagonav

Thank You Again

I am grateful for all the good work that you are making possible through your support for the Schools Not Slavery initiative. Thank you again for your extraordinary generosity and solidarity. If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please call or write to me anytime at (305) 450-2561 or b.stevens@beyondborders.net.

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Your Generous Support is Growing the Grassroots Movement to Protect and Educate Children.

Thank you for your generous support for the growing movement to protect and educate every girl and boy in rural Haiti. With your support, a growing group of women and men are committed to the movements to end child slavery and guarantee a high-quality education for all.

Your solidarity is instrumental in making their work possible. Thanks to you and your support, these women and men are creating real change for some of Haiti’s most vulnerable girls and boys and transforming their country from the ground up

As you read the stories in this report, you’ll see how -- now more than ever -- Haitians are conscious of and organizing themselves to defend the rights of children. The growth of these movements and the stories of progress in this report are evidence of that – and the impact that you are having through your generosity.

Thank you again for your solidarity with our courageous sisters and brothers in Haiti in their struggle for an end to violence and injustice. With your continued support I’m confident that no matter what 2022 holds, these women and men, the movements they lead -- and Haiti itself -- will persevere and grow.

The Child Rights Training ‘Scale-Up-Scale-Out’ Strategy Continues to Gain Momentum

The critical mass of people in Haiti whose beliefs and behaviors are changing when it comes to how children should be treated is growing. Forty-six new Child Rights Dialogue Groups, with a total of 689 participants, were started on Lagonav Island and the mainland in the last two quarters.

Anecdotal evidence is demonstrating how these newly trained community residents and local authorities are taking their roles as child rights advocates seriously. Some are bringing their own children – who they had previously sent away to live with others in the hopes that it would mean a better life for them – home.

Others are intervening on behalf of vulnerable children in their communities. In one community, two child rights training graduates intervened when they heard a parent beating their 9-year-old child. They took the child to safety and called local authorities who arrested the parent.

The Mayor of Ansagale – Lagonav Island’s largest community – himself intervened in a case he discovered of a child living in household servitude. He contacted the child’s parents on the mainland, made arrangements to have the child reunited with them, and provided financial support for the family.

New Child Protection Decree is Fostering Action on Lagonav

The new child protection decree on Lagonav Island – news of which we shared in the November 2021 update –  is also fostering action. Three community radio stations signed an agreement to broadcast PSAs on the decree and the Mayor is reporting a significant number of people coming to request authorization to travel with children - a key provision in the decree.

Local leaders are also meeting with child rights activists to draft a communal decree that would establish a Municipal Administrative Police unit and Municipal Child Protection Brigade.

A Look at More of the Work to End Child Slavery that You’ve Made Possible

Here’s a look at some of the other work to protect children from slavery and abuse that you made possible:

• 10 new Child Rights Dialogue Groups started in 10 rural communities on Lagonav, with 193 participants (47 men, 146 women)
• 330 people in 10 communities (226 women, 104 men) from various child rights training groups participated in Open Space Sessions to plan strategy and set goals
• 20 new community Child Protection Brigades inaugurated in four rural sections on Lagonav with a total of 473 participants (311 women, 162 men)
• 160 adult survivors of child slavery (140 women, 20 men) from nine network branches participated in psycho-social support activities with our new Psycho-Social Support Officer
• 12 new Child Rights Dialogue Groups launched in two urban communities on Lagonav
• 24 new Child Rights Dialogue Groups created with 360 participants in St. Raphaël (North Department) with our partner PDL
• 186 people participated in activities to celebrate World Children’s Rights Day with partner PDL with support from BB staff

A Child Rights Training Participant Shares How She’s Changed

To understand how the Child Rights Training that your generosity makes possible changes participants, we asked one woman to share her story.

Before I did not understand what living in household servitude was like [for a child]. Now my eyes are open. My husband decided to send one of our girls to go live with his sister. I was happy because I knew her and I believed that my child would have a better life. She suffered all kinds of misery and mistreatment from her aunt. She was bullied, belittled, humiliated, forced to do hard work. She did not have time to sleep, she did not eat well. I didn’t know that my child would end up living like a slave. I sent some peanut butter for my daughter but her aunt would not let her have any. When she tried to sneak a taste, her aunt burned her with hot water. She has scars on her arm. In the training, I heard the stories. I got so angry, I started to cry. I felt guilty for what my child was suffering. I decided to bring her home. Today, as a member of the Child Protection Brigade I have a role and responsibility in my community. My convictions are strong. I felt I needed to be part of this committee – to defend the rights of children in my community – because my child was a victim of this horrible practice. If there had been someone in my community addressing these problems and was engaged in protecting children, maybe my child would not have become a victim. ~ Louismène, 47-year-old mother of four, Child Rights Training Graduate, member of her local Child Protection Brigade

Your Generous Gift is Supporting a Growing Movement to Guarantee Every Child a Quality Education

With your support, Beyond Borders continues our work to organize a Communal Education Platform, engaging key education stakeholders, including local government, the Ministry of Education, schools, and community leaders. The goal is to ensure local organizing and leadership to build the movement to guarantee universal access to quality education in each Communal Section (Municipal District) of the Commune of Ansagalè, Lagonav Island.

Our primary education partners on Lagonav Island, the Matènwa Community Learning Center (MCLC) continues its work with schools to improve the quality of education being offered to children on Lagonav Island. The two-year teacher training program supports schools to integrate new methods and approaches to deliver primary education in Haitian Creole that is participatory, nonviolent, and rooted in local culture.

New Communal Education Platform is Playing a Key Role in Promoting Quality Schooling

The Ansagale Communal Education Platform is starting to play a key role in communities mobilized to promote the right to high-quality education for all children. One key objective of bringing together education stakeholders on Lagonav is to foster creative, collaborative solutions to problems encountered. We are witnessing the fruits of this collaboration and positive impacts as shared by state and civil society actors. State school inspectors feel the support of the community to overcome challenges they face in their jobs. The mobilization of education actors allows for discussions and punctual actions to deal with problems in real-time in a mutually collaborative way. School staff, parents, community based organizations also share positive feedback about the opportunity to participate in this new form of shared governance-responsibility. Later this year, the Platform will launch a friendly competition between communities. Participating schools will be evaluated on seven criteria, ranging from physical state of the school to teaching methods to involvement of parents/students in school governance. The winner (the community not an individual school) will be invited to submit a proposal for funding of an education project in that community.

A Look at More of the Work to Guarantee Universal Quality Education that You’ve Made Possible

Here’s a look at some of the other work that you made possible:

• Seven school directors and 35 teachers received initial training on non-violent classroom management and new teaching methods
• 30 pedagogical visits were made to seven schools
• 36 people participated in an Open Space Session on National Creole Language Day to talk about the importance of teaching in Creole
• Seven schools received didactic materials, along with bookshelves and books
• Four General Assemblies of the Education Platform were held in four rural sections with 78 participants, including local authorities, school directors and teachers, students, community leaders, and BB partner, MCLC
• 51 people participated in three workshops to discuss strategies for mobilizing local resources to support education initiatives in their communities

Two School Directors Share What The Teacher Training You Make Possible Means to Them

I am the director of the Methodist School in Nan Zèb, where I have been the director for many years. I can say that after the training, I now fully understand the role of a school director. In just a little amount of time, the Methodist School of Nan Zèb has completely changed in how we treat our students. Before, I thought that a stick was a good educational tool. But the training showed me that a stick has no place in a school. They taught me other non-violent strategies that I can use to make the school function better. Classrooms have been rearranged, students’ work is on display around the room – this is thanks to what we learned, we did not know this [strategy of teaching] before. I feel proud to be in partnership with your organization that is working to promote quality education on Lagonav. Thank you, thank you to those who fund this great work. ~ Peter Watson Laguerre, Director of the Methodist School in Nan Zèb

I have been teaching at the National Boukanlama School for many years. The state never provided any training for me. I was then promoted to Director, still without any training. I cannot hide the truth that, thanks to the training, I am learning what it means to be a school director. With this training, I am learning to manage the school better. I am also learning the importance of having a school garden, and am learning the techniques to create a garden at my school. I promise that the National Boukanlama School will work hard to respect the engagements and commitment we have made in order to make this school a reference and model in the community. ~ Hornyle Guerrier, Director of the National Boukanlama School

Thank You Again

I am grateful for all the good work that you are making possible through your support for the Schools Not Slavery initiative. Thank you again for your extraordinary generosity and solidarity. If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please call or write to me anytime at (305) 450-2561 or b.stevens@beyondborders.net.

Links:

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Making Progress Despite Extreme Challenges

The last few months have been extremely challenging for the people of Haiti. Despite this, the grassroots leaders, teachers, parents, and local elected officials with whom we work have continued their efforts to protect children from slavery and ensure every girl and boy goes to a good local school.

Now more than ever, your generous gift to Beyond Borders’ Schools Not Slavery initiative is critically important to the success of the Haitian-led movements to end child slavery and guarantee universal quality primary education. Even now, more girls and boys are growing up free, at home with their families, in communities that are committed to keeping them safe and educating them, thanks to you! 

A Groundbreaking Anti-Child Trafficking Decree Published

There's good news to share in the struggle to end child slavery in Haiti. For the first time ever, the Beyond Borders team -- led by attorney Smith Maxime -- succeeded in drafting and winning passage of a model new anti-trafficking law that empowers local governments to protect children and prosecute traffickers.

This summer, with the help of Smith and the Beyond Borders team led by our colleague Freda Catheus, the county government that covers much of Lagonav Island passed a law that requires municipal authorities to ensure that children are not being trafficked to or from their jurisdictions, and mandates prosecution for any case of child trafficking discovered.

Building on the 2014 National Anti-Trafficking Law

This new law builds on the nationwide 2014 anti-trafficking law -- often criticized for its lack of enforcement -- by equipping local governments with the legal framework they need to take action to protect children. The law also spells out standards of care for children living apart from their parents and requires institutions that work with children to report suspected cases of child trafficking.

Your generosity and solidarity is making innovative collaborations like this between Beyond Borders and local governments possible, codifying practices that will free more enslaved girls and boys and prevent child trafficking.

The Work to End Child Slavery that You’ve Made Possible this Quarter

Here’s a look at some of the other work to protect children from slavery and abuse that you made possible this past quarter:

• 349 people (233 women) graduated from 23 Child Rights Training Groups in four communale sections on Lagonav Island
• 3 children (all under the age of six) reunited with their parents through work of Child Protection Brigades trained by Beyond Borders and supported by Haiti Partners. The children’s parents were invited to participate in Child Rights Dialogue Groups and the Village Savings and Loan program and the children were integrated into local school programs.
• 2 new urban communities on Lagonav joined the Child Rights Training program after Child Welfare Surveys were conducted with 569 urban households by local community residents selected and trained by BB staff
• 17 people trained to be Child Rights Training Group facilitators in new rural groups
• 23 child rights focal points from local governments in six communale sections on Lagonav engaged in meetings and workshops

By facilitating government leadership on child rights, Beyond Borders aims to both foster greater engagement from local government, and influence leaders to leverage their democratically-elected authority to listen to their population, establish and strengthen relevant, local structures and practices that are sustainable and rooted in Haitian law, and that do not depend upon outside organizations to continue.

Thank you again for your faithful solidarity and generous support for the movement to end child slavery in Haiti. You are making a lasting difference for some of our world's most vulnerable children.

A Parent Shares What The Training You Made Possible Means to Her

Your generosity and solidarity is making a lasting difference for parents and children on Lagonav Island. Here is a testimonial from a parent who took part in Child Rights Training made possible by you:

“I was so happy to receive my certificate for completing the Child Rights Training. It was a big day in my life that I will never forget. Many people I know who were trained with me have made a lot of changes not only in their lives and the lives of their children, but also in the community as other families see how to treat their children and other children. I will admit that I used to hit my children a lot, especially my son, when they misbehaved. I thought it was the best way for me to correct them. But I did not get the results I was looking for. But during and after my [child rights] training, I began using other methods to correct them – like making them spend more time on reading and writing and instead of playing. Even though my husband has more patience than me when it comes to children, I suggested that he join a training group this year so that we can be on the same page. I also made the same suggestion to my neighbor who has a little girl who does not go to school. I cannot remain indifferent now that I have been trained, so I have started to intervene. I will always support children who are in difficult situations. I am certain this program can reach people who have children living with them and who are being treated as restavèks (household servants) so that children in the area as well as across the country can truly live [and] be treated as people.” ~ Marie-Ange, 36-year-old mother of two, Child Rights Training graduate.

Your Generosity is Building the Movement to Guarantee Universal Quality Primary Education for Every Girl and Boy on Lagonav Island

With your support, work continues to organize a Communal Education Platform on Lagonav Island, engaging key education stakeholders, including local government, the Ministry of Education, schools, and community leaders. The goal is to ensure local organizing and leadership to build the movement to guarantee universal access to quality education in each Communal Section (Municipal District) of the Commune of Ansagalè, Lagonav Island, in the communities where Beyond Borders is working.

Our primary education partner on the island, the Matènwa Community Learning Center (MCLC) continues its work with schools to improve the quality of education being offered to children. The two-year teacher training program trains school principals and teachers in how to integrate new teaching methods and approaches that are participatory, nonviolent, rooted in local culture, and taught in Haitian Creole.

Expanding and Evaluating the Teacher Training Program on Lagonav

Beyond Borders’ partner, MCLC, invited seven new schools to participate in the teacher training program. Schools were evaluated and selected by a joint committee of MCLC, local authorities, and Beyond Borders. MCLC launched the program with an intensive, three-day training workshop on-site at MCLC; 45 educators participated, including seven principals (one woman) and 38 teachers (15 women).

The process to conduct an external evaluation of the Teacher Training Program, that had been delayed at the end of FY2021, moved forward this quarter with an external consultant beginning work in October.

Communal Education Platform Plays Key Role in Problem-Solving

One of the key objectives of bringing together all education stakeholders on Lagonav to promote increased access to quality primary education is to foster creative, collaborative solutions to problems encountered. Prior to the start of the new academic year, a state school in Titans was suffering from a lack of teachers. State school inspectors, other school directors, MCLC and Beyond Borders staff mobilized and supported the school to identify and hire five new teachers. 

In another instance, in the community of Ti Palmis, a conflict between teachers and a director at one of the schools seemed unresolvable. It was brought to the attention of the platform, and members intervened to support the teachers and school director to come to a solution agreeable to all.

Thank You Again

I am grateful for all the good work that you are making possible through your support for the Schools Not Slavery initiative. Thank you again for your extraordinary generosity and solidarity. If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please call or write to me anytime at (305) 450-2561 or b.stevens@beyondborders.net.

Links:

• Get an in-depth look at Beyond Borders' work in this new video