Reunite 75 Exploited Children with their families

Emergency Relief

Amidst increasing famine and malnutrition rates, our team has been engaging in emergency food staples kit distributions to provide vital supplies to those in critical need. Food supplies are becoming more rare, as ports and airports have been closed and there is limited circulation in the country. Because of this, the cost of basic food supplies is increasing and families who are already vulnerable are struggling to afford to be able to feed themselves.

The LFBS country team’s commitment has always shined while working through challenging times. In April however, our team truly went above and beyond, working around the clock to assemble emergency food kits. All staff members participated in the assembly, and stayed at the office until 10 30 pm so that they would be able to distribute them the next day to highly vulnerable families in time for Easter.

56 kits were distributed to vulnerable families across communities spanning from Les Cayes, to along the coast of the Sud Department and throughout the Grand'Anse region. Due to their remote location, these communities are not often reached with needed support, especially at times like these when travel is so limited in the country.

The 56 families who received the emergency food kits were identified by our team as being the most highly vulnerable that we are currently working with, and are in a very critical state at this time.

Rural communities in the Grand'Anse region are among the most seriously affected by the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis. Some of the families in this region who received kits had no other food in their homes, illustrating the severe economic impacts that exist across Haiti.

Each emergency food kit costs about $160 CAD and contains locally-sourced vital supplies like food staples, hygiene supplies, and medical aid. By purchasing items locally, the kits not only support vulnerable families but also supports the Haitian economy.

Opting for locally sourced food goods over imported alternatives is not only a healthier and more nutritious option, but also bolsters local production, agriculture and industry. Because of this, in addition to providing immediate aid; we’re supporting and strengthening communities for the long-term.

Family Tracing, Mediation & Reunification

In May, LFBS had our Annual Street Child meeting. Every year, on or around Haiti's National Day of the Child the LFBS team mobilizes all of the street children in Les Cayes and other parts of southern Haiti, to this meeting that is specifically for them. The objective is to inspire and motivated the street children to choose to leave the streets and return home, and go to school or learn a vocational skill. In additon to this, in collaboration with Haitian social services, the event serves as a means to document all of these children, so that there is a record of how many street children there are (to prevent traficking) and identify if any of them need urgent medical or psychological care. We have psychologists present at the event, along with different child protection actors, to speak about topics like children's rights and child protection, specifically as they relate to the street children who are attending. We also have former street children attend the event, who have been previously reunited with their families and who are getting an education and have succesfully reintergrate into their communities, and these children speak to the current street children to hopefully inspire them to make the same choice to go home. At the end of the event, any child who wants to make the choice to leave the streets is immedaitely followed up with by the LFBS team. 

This year, we decided to have our Annual Street Child meeting on the day before Haitian Flag Day, and include Haitian Flag Day celebrations into the event, which incorporates an aspect of pride and celebration of Haiti and Haitan culture. In the context of some of the challenging circumstances that exist in Haiti, the LFBS team felt it was important to remind the children of their powerful history and reinforce pride in their country, and remind them that they can be a contribution to their country and its future. This understanding is especially important when it comes to street children, because many of these children are vulnerable to being recruited into gangs, and by inspiring them to return home and make different chocies for themselves, they can see linkages to how that changes the future of their country.

Another aspect of the event that we did differently this year was to teach the kids a skill during the event. The LFBS Social Worker Intern taught all of the children how to make bracelettes, which is a skill that they can use to create and sell items that will help them generate an income. 

This year there were over 30 street children that attended the event, which is two times the number of children that were present last year. In additon to their being more street children, the kids were younger than in previous years. Most reported that the reason that they left home to go to the streets was because of hunger, and that there was not enough food at home. This shows just how important it is to empower families with resources and support so that they can stay together, and care for their children, particularly in the crisis context that Haiti is experiencing.

Community Reinforcement

During the month of June, the LFBS team planned a series of meetings with all of the parents of the children in the LFBS programs. In each community that LFBS works in, parents were enganged to learn about the intent and conditions of LFBS' work, making sure that parents have a good understanding that LFBS' support is not meant to replaee parents' responsibility, but rather is meant to reinforce and empower them, and ultimately create conditions where they are self sufficient and do not require assistance. 

The LFBS country team has found that these meetings are extremely important and make a big difference in family's perception of LFBS' support, because at the end of the day they are the ones are responsible for taking the support being provided and turning it into a tangiable difference in their lives.

Thank You!

Thank you for being a part of our incredible community of supporters and donors. Because of you, we are making real, impactful, and lasting changes in the lives of children, families, and communities. You are a partner in this work and we couldn’t do it without you. Thank you for your interest, support, and caring, and for being a catalyst for change.

Thank you for your shared commitment to our mission to protect vulnerable children in Haiti by reuniting families and empowering them with resources and opportunities to build a self-sufficient future.