Schools Not Slavery

We know that one of the best ways to keep kids out of slavery is to keep them in school.  That's why we're overjoyed to report that this school year we helped our partners in Haiti launch 11 Accelerated Education classrooms - one more than our goal - and we did it thanks to your support.

How does school keep kids out of slavery?  Older children from rural communities who are unable to start school at the traditional age of 6 are much more likely to be sent away to live in the city as household slaves. Parents often don't know the risk of sending their child away, believing life in the city means the chance to go to school.

Sadly, the reality is that many children who are sent away face neglect, abuse and an unrelenting regime of household chores at the hands of their 'host family.'

Beyond Borders is working to change this by supporting the movement to end child slavery in Haiti.  A centerpiece of our effort is the Accelerated Education (AE) program.

These 11 AE classrooms are hosted in 7 Haitian schools this year and are educating more than 160 kids.  Most of the students were at risk for being sent away into household slavery and some were rescued from slavery by parents who now rejoice to have their children back home. 

In addition to creating classrooms for previously unschooled youth, our strategy includes training for adults on the rights of children and how to take action to protect vulnerable kids.

In communities across rural southeast Haiti and in Port-au-Prince, our 22-week child rights program is training groups of 12 to 15 adult neighbors who in turn are saving kids from slavery and helping reunite them with their families.  Since 2010, Beyond Borders has trained more than 3,000 adults using this method.  You can read one such story of how an adult trained by Beyond Borders rescued a child from slavery in our Winter 2013 newsletter, available now.

Beyond Borders is committed to expanding our efforts to support the movement to end child slavery by keeping kids in school and training adults to protect children.  And we know this work only happens through your support and partnership.  We are humbled by the trust you place in us and we are committed to using your donation in the most effective way possible.  

We invite you to visit our website to learn more about how you can partner with a community working to end child slavery.  And while there, read our four most recent IRS Form 990 filings, our three most recent audited financial statements and our Charity Navigator report, which ranks us in the top 1% of charities evaluated.

Thank you for supporting the movement to end child slavery!