Reducing unrest in Haiti starts within families

A few years ago, armed bandits attacked an orphanage in the south of Haiti. Thankfully, none of the children were harmed physically, but the traumatic event left scars. What they said next will break your heart: They wanted to go home.

Around 80% of children in orphanages and residential homes in Haiti have parents, and almost all have extended family members. Many of the children living on the streets in Haiti are in the same boat. But if this is true, why aren’t these children living at home?

Haiti has suffered economic instability and political unrest for decades. Inflation spiked in recent years, and the 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president has left the country largely controlled by gangs and organized crime. The violence is only growing. In October, the U.N. approved deploying Kenyan troops to help secure peace and assist in the country’s first elections since 2016. On top of that, natural disasters and a cholera epidemic in recent years have left millions in need.

Families are struggling to care for their children in this environment of violence and extreme poverty, and this can lead to separation. Some children turn to the streets to provide for themselves. Some families perceive an orphanage as a better option for their kids. They place them in residential care so they can have a stable environment with food, education and medical care. Sometimes these orphanages are run with the best of intentions, but sometimes they’re not.

I arrived in Haiti from Canada after the earthquake in 2010 with a desire to care for orphaned children. During my first months here, I saw corruption, exploitation, abuse and neglect in many orphanages, including the one in which I volunteered. I had naively assumed these children had no families — that their parents were victims of the deadly earthquake. However, after deciding to stay in Haiti long-term, I learned the language and spoke directly to the kids about their families — their living families. Over time, I came to understand the complexities of why Haitian children have been placed in orphanages and why some resort to the streets.

I realized that for meaningful change for the country’s children, my efforts needed to shift away from the orphanage system and toward supporting families, building their resilience to care for children despite the country’s challenges. I wanted to address the root causes of separation and offer services to help families stay together. In 2011, I co-founded Little Footprints Big Steps (LFBS), an organization focused on family tracing, mediation, reunification and family strengthening.

One boy I know, whom I’ll call Daniel, struggled in the midst of the turmoil in Haiti. His parents had tragically died when he was young, and he was living in poverty with an uncle. Life with his uncle proved challenging, so as a preteen, Daniel left home and ended up living on the streets of Les Cayes, Haiti. Children on the streets are, of course, profoundly vulnerable, and the possibility of being recruited into an orphanage or a local gang is all too real for many of them.

But thankfully, that wasn’t Daniel’s fate.

LFBS holds a yearly event in partnership with Haitian child protection authorities for street children, where we document and listen to the children’s stories and share how we can help reunite them with their families. In 2022, Daniel came forward at one of these events, and we began to work with him. While social workers located his family and addressed the reasons why he first left, Daniel was placed in transitional housing. After receiving counseling, education and training, Daniel returned to his hometown to live with his grandmother and began a two-year apprenticeship with a local mechanic.

With support from our organization, Daniel now helps care for his grandmother and her home. He earns enough for them to live on, which gives him purpose and a deep sense of pride.

After a year of such employment, Daniel is a motivated employee, an active and engaged member of his community, and a dedicated grandson. It’s this type of enduring, family-centered care that can prevent a vulnerable child from being separated from their families. And if this support is given to families in need throughout Haiti, it just might help reduce the spread of violence and unrest. By shifting our resources toward organizations that work to strengthen families, we can make an enormous difference for the children of Haiti.

Widespread transformation may be a long way off for the country as a whole. But uniting its children with their parents and supporting these families is a start toward healing a nation.

Based in Les Cayes, Haiti, Morgan Wienberg is the co-founder and executive director of Little Footprints Big Steps.