Haiti
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with over half of the population living on $1 a day. Parents soon realize they cannot afford to feed their children so they send them off to be servants to other families.
Recent statistics show that there could possibly be around 300,000 Restaveks in Haiti.
Why we are praying for the Restaveks in Haiti?
- They are not given the best living arrangements. They are treated as slaves to the where they live. They are typically the first to get up in the morning and the last to go to sleep. Sleeping arrangements consist of laying on the floor, typically in the kitchen. They normally will only eat if there is food left over after the family has had their supper. This results in the children being extremely malnourished and resulting in possible starvation.
- Most do not go to school. With their daily chores of taking care of the house and family the last thing they get to do is go to school. While they care for other children that get to, the Restavek is considered more of a servant than a child. Their owner does not consider education important to their slave.
- They are abused. Beatings when they don’t finish their chores and even raped. They are slaves to their owners, not viewed as human beings.