Of these children, 65 percent are girls between age 6 and 14. They are forced to work long hours under harsh conditions, and are subject to mistreatment, including sexual abuse.

The restavèk child is the first person to wake up in the morning and the last one to go to bed, sometimes after 14 hours of work that consists of, among other chores, carrying water, washing clothes, taking the owner’s children to school, doing errands, and cleaning the home.

The restavèk child is often beaten for the simplest mistakes. Laws against child abuse exist in Haiti, but unfortunately they are seldom enforced as children’s rights don’t have a high a priority.

The number of restavèk children reported nationally is between 250,000 and 300,000, and this domestic phenomenon is due to several reasons.

The main reason is parents’ low income. A lack of economic resources forces parents from remote areas to place their children with families in urban areas with the hope that the child will have a better future.

A restavèk child can also be the product of parents’ broken relationships.

Another reason for a child to leave home is mistreatment by parents or relatives.

If the restavèk doesn’t find a better future by age 17, the child often takes his or her independence from the owner to join a street gang or to become a prostitute. The owner will then look for a younger child, and the infernal circle continues.

In the past, restavèk children used to be placed in middle-class or upper-class families. But most current reports on restavèk children show the opposite, as the restavèks are largely owned by urban families who cannot even provide for their own children.

The restavèk child has to suffer not just because the owner does not want to meet the child’s needs, but because even if the owner wants to, he cannot.

The restavèk owners are usually people who cannot read or write. The ones who can read or write have very little education, and often do not care about children’s rights.

The restavèk’s owner is always reluctant to let other people talk to the child, so as not to be alerted to the child’s situation.

Fighting the Restavèk Curse in Haiti

Jean Klebert Excéus, a former child development center director, is a Haitian leader who stands against restavèk children in Haiti.

Klebert now works as a school administrator serving restavèk children. His job consists of evaluating the school program curriculum, hiring new teachers, evaluating teachers, providing new orientation to the school when needed, and providing reports to the church for assistance money provided by Compassion.

“In a battle there are different roles that a soldier can play. Some soldiers give alert, some give orders, and others launch the attacks; I am in the front line against it.”

Klebert originally shared his vision for fighting the trafficking of children into servitude with his church board. The church is located in the heart of the Solino slum, one of the largest slums in the Port-au-Prince area, which used to be a no-go area due to violence, kidnapping and gang activity.

As a member of the church board, Klebert knew about the challenges, but was determined to do something. Because, he says, “Where there is will, there is also a way.”

Klebert believed that if he helped the restavèk children, he would reduce the number of street gangs since many street children used to be restavèk.

Starting a school for domestic children was not without difficulty. The fact that the restavèk children are often older than 9 makes it hard for them to be part of Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program, which registers younger children.

Klebert initially decided to meet the restavèk children every Sunday afternoon since they had less to do that day and their owners are also more flexible about releasing them for just a few hours.

One year later, in 1996, a school that operated in the afternoon five days a week was opened. Since then, the school has grown to 400 students, and it operates in two sessions.

The difficulties of sustaining the program increased as more children came, and the local church could not meet all the needs.

That’s when Compassion began to assist the local church with the special project through tuition fees, books, uniforms and nonformal education.

The church actually has two schools. One is a regular school and the other one is for over-age children — restavèk. The schools are located in the same slum but in different locations.

It is impossible for restavèk children to be accepted in the regular school because they are always over age when they owner decides to send them to school. They start school usually when they are 10 or 12 years old. In Haiti, children normally start school at 3, and complete elementary school at age 12.

Currently, the elementary school for the restavek children is one of the best schools in the Solino area. Children are receiving classical education plus vocational training such as plumbing, cooking and pastry, cosmetology and floral art.

Klebert hopes to add courses such as computer training, carpentry, help nurse and cabinet maker, as those skills would equip the children for a better future.

He dreams of having more children and more activities for them at the school. His dream is that one day, one of the restavèk children comes to replace him, as he had been replaced by a former sponsored child as the child development center director.

Stories of Restavèk Children

Michelet, a 15-year-old boy, is a restavèk child like thousands of others in Haiti. Unlike the others, however, he dreams of becoming the best plumber in Port-au-Prince.

Michelet did not know his mother very well, and does not know if she is still alive or not. He was born in Cayes, in southern Haiti. His father separated from his mother and took him from her at age  5.

Michelet was brought to Port-au-Prince, to Solino, and placed in a family that his father did not know.

His father could not find a job, so he decided to join a gang in order to help Michelet. Michelet remembers that his father sometimes used to bring food for him. But Michelet learned his father was killed during a police operation. So Michelet grew up as a restavèk.

His main job consists of taking care of his owner, a blind man. Michlet takes his “uncle” to church or any other place he needs to go. He calls his owners “uncle and aunt,” even though there is no blood relationship between them.

Unlike many other restavèk, Michelet had the chance to attend school for the first time when he was 10. Currently, he is in grade five, and he will take the official exams next June that will give him access to secondary school next year.

Michelet is also learning plumbing at the center. His passion for plumbing is evident in that he always wants to be the first to start the practice session.

Unlike other restavèk who hate their owners after being freed, Michelet intends to help his “uncle and aunt” because they are getting older and have nobody to rely on.

“When I am making money, I will help my uncle and my aunt, as they were allowing me to go to school.”

Michelet was not always treated well, though. Sometimes he went for an entire day without eating. His owners did not buy him good, clean clothes like they do for their own child. He was forced to stay with his “uncle” most of the time, with no time to play as a child. But the values and good manners he learned in the school make him feel that he must treat them well. 

Acnise is an orphan. She lost both her mother and father when she was 8 years old.

After her parents died, Acnise’s life was torn apart when a neighbor decided to take charge of her. Acnise was forced to wake up at 5 every morning to wash dishes, clean the home, carry water and cook when she was 9. Sometimes, she was not allowed to eat the food she made.

“I was beaten at least two times a day with an electric cable for any little mistake. Sometimes I don’t even know what is good and what is wrong, as I was beaten for almost everything.”

Because Acnise lived near the school, she used to see children her age wearing uniforms to school when she was walking home, carrying a bucket full of water on her head. 

One night after being severely beaten, Acnise decided to leave home, even though she did not know where she was going. Acnise wanted to take shelter at the school, but at 9 p.m. the gate was already closed. She decided to go to Klebert’s home.

After Acnise explained to Klebert why she was there, Klebert allowed her to spend one week at his home in order to better understand her problems and also to see how he could make her life better.

The fact that Acnise was 9 and had never attended school made it difficult for her to register into Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program. However, she was admitted to the school for restavèks.

Acnise was placed in a family that belongs to the local church. Currently, she is in grade five and is taking cooking,  pastry-making and floral art at the school. As a result, Acnise accepted Christ as her Savior and she is active at church. She is the only child the church has placed in a home so far.

The young couple who accepted Acnise at their home has only one little boy. Acnise feels comfortable looking after the boy, as she is not forced to do that.

Acnise now can play with other children in school and at home. She cleans the home, washes the dishes and sets the bed after school. After that, she is free to study her lesson or do her homework.

The family where Acnise was placed sometimes cannot provide her  everything she needs. But at least she is free in mind and in spirit.

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We recently asked Pastor Tim Bailey of Hillside Church in London, ON, the question “What is compassion?” We liked his answer so much that we wanted to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

Her bottom lip quivered as her fingers nervously played with her hair band. Her eyes glanced quickly from side to side, as if expecting to run at any moment. Her knee bounced to the beat of her heart as she listened passively to my questions.

She was a Restavek child from the depths of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and without the knowledge of her owners, she was meeting with us to tell her story.

It was the story of a concrete mattress, early morning chores and constant abuse. It was a story of an uncle who was using her as his own personal slave.

Abandoned by her parents and left on the edge of the city in hopes of a better life, she had spent the last four years trying to protect her younger sister from the fate that had destroyed her life.

As I listened to her answer my difficult and somewhat invasive questions, her ability to hold her emotions in was disturbing. It was as if she had perfected a way to avoid the reality of her situation.

She talked as if she were answering for someone else. The only hope I saw was the quiver that never got past her swollen lip.

After 10 minutes of listening to her circumstance, I began to feel physically ill. I felt panic like I had not felt in years. The hatred building in my soul was overtaking all my emotions.

Sweat started dripping off my forehead as I looked at my friend behind the camera. “I’m spent,” I said, quickly standing up and running out the door and down the corridor. I felt as if I couldn’t breath.

At the end of the hallway, I hung over the railing, weeping uncontrollably. I could not remember feeling as angry as I did then. Shaking, I stood there ready to hunt this man down and end his reign of abuse and oppression. The wall beside me felt the brunt of my anger as I punched it in an outburst of rage.

In that moment, I started to identify with the conflict in my spirit. My anger was telling me to fight for justice. My rage wanted to give the oppressor his dues.

On the other hand, sympathy was telling me to heal the injustice. Love was calling me towards freeing the oppressed.

Compassion hijacked my anger that day. My rage turned in on itself, and instead of driving me towards administering my own form of justice, it fueled a determination to feel deep empathy and act on the pain and sorrow I was experiencing.

When faced with the raw injustices in our world, it is our tendency to want to fight for justice. It is our human nature to want to retaliate and oppress the oppressor and fight the fighters.

But love calls us to a higher place. Jesus calls us to love our enemies, and heal injustice. The war we fight within us is between acting on our hate or being driven by love.

Compassion is what we do when love wins.

Read the latest issue of Compassion Today at www.compassion.ca.

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As I mentioned before, Ephraim has got a lot of perseverance. Check out the Compassion Haiti staff photo from 15 years ago. He’s one of only two staff members still remaining.  

1. What are the great things about Haiti that you want us to know about? Tell us something special about the people of your country, like a particular strength of them. (Lisa Miles) 

Haiti is economically considered one of the poorest countries of this hemisphere. However, this country is also unique in its natural and culturally diverse resources.

The Haitian is born with the ability to make the most beautiful artwork in the world. No matter the social class he is issued, the Haitian is capable to transform the simplest raw materials into the most enjoyable items. The Haitian paintings are of the greatest imagination, along with our sculpture in wood, steel, or stone.

Although most of its natural resources are unexploited, Haiti is one of the countries with the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean.

Besides all of its artistic ability, most of the educated Haitians speak up to four languages: Creole (native language), French (official), English, and Spanish with proficiency. 

2. I would love to hear your favorite story of children in your programs whose lives were really turned around by being part of Compassion. (Amy)

There are so many success stories that I could share but there this one that is unique to me. It is about a boy named Zaccalot. I named him an abandoned hero.

Zaccalot was abandoned by his mother at the age of 4 after he became very ill. Evanie, his mother had already lost two children when they were young and did not want to see another death at her door, so she abandoned him. Zaccalot suffered with worms, malnutrition, pimples and stomach aches.

Lying down under a blazing sun by the street in a locality called Saintard (about 40km from Port-au-Prince) the poor Zaccalot drew the attention of a Compassion group that was passing by. The time for the hero to rise up had come as the group stopped and asked to take care of him through Compassion.  

A few weeks later, as Zaccalot’s mother was informed about it, she decided to come back and join her husband and children again.

The difference that the project makes in the life of Zaccalot has changed the family’s perspective on life. Despair has changed into hope.

At 8 years old, Zaccalot in in second grade and is in good health. He is a reference for his community, as he passed from death to life thanks to Compassion. And he has also reunited his family together after it had been broken by poverty and despair.

That story impacted me the most because I was part of the group who witnessed that event and participated in deciding to assist Zaccalot.

3. I met you on an Advocate’s tour to Haiti and you were an awesome tour guide! You have the most wonderful smile and laughter! Visiting your country–and meeting the wonderful people there (including my sponsored child of 16 years)–was one of the highlights of my life. any idea how many guests you have welcomed and translated for in 22 years? How many games of Duck Duck Goose have you played (or translated)? (Juli Jarvis)

It is a bit difficult to give the exact statistics of how many visitors I have welcomed and translated for during my 22 years of service at Compassion.

However, with three tours and an average of 20 sponsor visits per year, I can say that I had the opportunity to meet the most heartfelt committed people from all over the world who came to encourage and cheer the sponsored children in Haiti.

For example, one of the visits that I will never forget is about a young male sponsor from Australia. That visit took us four hours driving in bad road conditions and two hours walking up the mountains and down the creek to reach the child’s home as that sponsor was determined to visit the child at site.

The most rewarding memory is that the sponsor ate the same meal and slept on the same floor mat that the family used. Both, the child and the young sponsor will never forget such an experience of love and sharing.

4. How has the global food crisis affected children in Haiti? Which would be the most important option for sponsors who want to help – to sponsor an additional child, to send a family gift to our child, or to send a donation to Compassion specifically for the food crisis? (Linday)

The food crisis has affected most of the Haitian families especially the lower class with low income. Considering the unemployment rate (75 percent) and the lack of government capacity to respond to the crisis, we can assume that the children are the most vulnerable as many of them can no longer go to school and find food to eat as they should.

With that in mind, my personal opinion is that the best option would be to sponsor an additional child. The advantage of such a decision is that the child will have both, the opportunity to go to school and also to find food through the Compassion response to the food crisis program.

5. What is the most significant way sponsors can pray for their children, and what is the best thing a sponsor can write to their children? (Sara Benson)

There is nothing greater in the life of a sponsored child than receiving words of encouragement from his/her sponsor. Many children who have become successful Christian adults have confessed that the words of encouragement they received from their sponsor had motivated them to do well in school. The child feels that he/she has an obligation to be the best child he/she could be at home and in his/her neighborhood. The children love to read in the sponsored letters expressions such as:

• I love you.
• I am praying for you.
• I want you to work hard in school in order to succeed.
• I want you to become a successful person in life.
• I want you to go to church and I also want you to pray for me.

Those kinds of words make the child feel that he/she has great value your eyes and also in the eyes of society. The child also likes to receive photographs. The child would show the photograph to his/her friends and also to people in the neighborhood.

Above all, a sponsor’s visit is something that impacts the life of a child and his/her family forever.

6. I spent five years in Haiti from ’83 to ’88, during the unrest and ousting of Baby Doc. At that time, voodoo was very prevalent, but so was the message of the gospel. At the end of my time there, voodoo activity had taken a bit of a nose dive, but the church was stronger than ever. Is this still the same? (James)

I am certain that voodoo will never be prevalent anymore in Haiti.

The church is getting stronger and stronger as the gospel has been spread out to people with much authority. The population has shown more interest in searching for God rather than voodoo. Evangelical crusades are being organized all over the country and have won hundreds of thousands of souls for Christ. The churches are overcrowded with people in all the main cities, while the voodoo temples are rarely seen.

At the departure of Baby Doc for instance, statistics show that the evangelicals were about 20 percent of the population. At this moment, the Gospel has brought 40 percent of the population to a commitment to Christ. 

7. Is Compassion Haiti doing anything to rescue children from the “restavec” system? (Joyce T.)

Compassion Haiti is in the heart of the struggle against the restavec system, called also domesticity. We are piloting a special program for those mistreated kids in one of the child development centers located in a slum called Solino in the heart of Port-au-Prince.

In many other cities where that program has not yet been established, Compassion still integrates “restavec” children in the regular program.

8. What is the poorest area of Haiti? And is there any way to sponsor a child from this area? (Heather)

It is difficult to identify the poorest area of Haiti if we consider the common denominators in all the disadvantaged areas. For instance: lack of paved roads, sewage, electricity, water system, medical infrastructures, just to name a few.

However, when we consider the density of the “Cite Soleil” Slum with about 250,000 inhabitants (about 12 percent of the Port-au-Prince population estimated at 2 million inhabitants), we can assume that “Cite Soleil” is the poorest area of Haiti, as 100 percent of that population lives with less than $1 per day. This is the reason why Cite Soleil remains one of the most vulnerable areas in time of inflation or food shortage.

9. When a child completes the program do they have a degree comparable to a U.S. high school degree? Is their training primarily academic or vocational? What types of skilled jobs are there in the rural areas? (Joyce T.)

When a child completes the program, he has the 12th grade U.S. equivalent. 

During the academic years, the child has the opportunity to learn a trade of his/her choice that is compatible to his/her community. That training can be: dressmaking, tailoring, plumbing, welding, electricity, paintings, handicrafts, cooking and pastry and music.

After graduation, the young adults are very competitive in the labor market as they are the best trained people in their community. In the rural areas for instance, the children can be self supporting by establishing their own businesses. And so doing, they become job creating entities in their respective communities.

Graduates through the Leadership Development Program often become lawyers, doctors, pastors, agronomists, social workers, teachers, nurses, etc., with college degrees. This enables them to better serve the country. 

10. What do you like most about your job? (Britney)

What I like the most about my job is that it offers me the opportunity to play an active role in the change process in the country. It offers me the opportunity to see Compassion’s impact in the lives of thousands of children. I have seen children whose lives were not worth anything, but who have been now transformed into real hope, thanks to Compassion.

My job has also given me the opportunity to be an agent of change rather than be a spectator. I am now proud to see former Compassion sponsored children being doctors, lawyers, teachers, pastors, social workers, just to name a few.

My commitment to that ministry has given me a personal satisfaction as a Gospel minister. 

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