KIDS HELPING KIDS IN HAITI

The Professor

Today's post features a guest blogger of sorts -- my son, known here as The Professor.  His school's French classes are endeavoring to help kids in Haiti who are victims of a form of child slavery, known as restavek, through the Jean-Robert Cadet Restavek Organization, started by a local resident and former child slave.  The classes are sponsoring a group of children who will get the opportunity to attend school for the first time.  To do so, they need to raise $5,000 to $6,000 to cover the academic fees.  In addition to monetary donations, the kids are also collecting school supplies, clothing, shoes, and other essentials that the kids will need.  My son is very passionate about this project, just as he was when he attempted to raise money for Invisible Children last year.  He's going to tell you a little about this project and then I have some details on how you can help if you'd like.

From The Professor:

The purpose of this project is to raise money for children in Haiti so they'll be able to go to school and buy the many things that we have but they do not.  In other words, it's all about helping those less fortunate.  I feel that this project is important because it's helping kids who really need it and it can have a positive impact because the children in Haiti will have a chance to go to school, get nutritious food, and have a future.

I care about this project because I think that children in Haiti deserve a better lifestyle than they currently have.  The life of these children right now is dreadful, they are forced to work like animals and are treated like slaves.  Kids in restavek are pretty much servants to a family.  They get up before everyone else, do the cooking, the cleaning, they're often hungry because they don't get good food, and it's not unusual for them to be abused.  They don't have a fraction of the stuff we have and without an education they don't have a chance to make their lives better.  Please make a donation so that we can help provide these kids with clothing, blankets, school supplies, shoes, and, most important, an education.  Thank you!


The Professor's French teacher has created the From Loveland to Haiti:  French Students Providing Hope blog.  There you'll find information on the community service project, as well as regular updates.  If you'd like to help with a monetary donation, you can do so through me (contact me at josherpoodle @gmail.com for my address) or a check can be made payable to Loveland City Schools with LMS French Class for Haiti in the memo line and mailed to:

Loveland Middle School

Attn:  French Class for Haiti Fundraiser

801 South Lebanon Road

Loveland, Ohio  45140

All the kids are working very hard doing extra chores for money, organizing bake and craft sales, and many have plans for taking a donation box around on Halloween to solicit donations while trick-or-treating.  It melts my cold, cynical heart to see kids helping kids in this way.  If you're interested in just who the Professor's school is helping, you can view their pictures here.  Seeing these sweet kids, so much like my own but living such different lives, makes me all the more determined to help my son help them to succeed.  

Even if you don't wish to donate, please check out the links below for more information on the kids of Haiti.  Thank you!

 * From Loveland to Haiti:  French Students Providing Hope blog

* The Jean R. Cadet Restavek Organization

* "Painful Plight of Haiti's 'Restavec' Children" - Article by CNN.

*  "Haiti Restavek Tradition Called Child Slavery - Article by Reuters.

* "Loveland Students to Help Peers in Haiti" - Article in the local newspaper, The Loveland Herald.