Restavek Freedom

Every day, we are working toward a world where every child is known and protected.💛

"Ann pwoteje timoun yo pandan nap respekte dwa yo."

Changing the culture that allows restavek to persist in Haiti requires more than responding when a child is already being exploited.

It requires building systems that protect children, strengthen families, uphold children’s rights, and prevent exploitation before it happens.

Protection isn’t only about responding to harm. It’s about creating a future where children are protected from it in the first place.

Let's protect children while respecting their rights.

What does a new school year make possible?

Learning new things.
Discovering new interests.
Building new friendships.
The chance to learn, grow, and imagine a different future.

This fall, 1,600 students in our Child Advocacy program across Haiti are preparing to return to school.

A gift of $590 helps make a full year of education possible for one child, including tuition, school supplies, a uniform and shoes, meals, and ongoing support from a Child Advocate.

Help open the door to a new school year: https://restavekfreedom.org/donate/back-to-school-2026/

Across Haiti, ongoing insecurity has made it increasingly difficult for children to access education.

Families have been displaced. Schools have closed or become difficult to reach. And the rising cost of daily life has placed a significant financial burden on many people, making education feel even further from reach.

When a child’s education is interrupted, the effects can extend far beyond a missed day in the classroom.

As 1,600 students in Restavek Freedom’s Child Advocacy Program prepare to return to school, consistent access to education, and the support needed to remain there, matters more than ever.

Learn how to support a student’s education in Haiti:
https://restavekfreedom.org/donate/back-to-school-2026/

Hair braiding has deep roots across Africa, where styles have long carried traces of community, memory, family, and identity.

These practices have been passed down through generations across the African diaspora: how to care for textured hair, how to braid, and how to carry these traditions forward. In Haiti, that knowledge became part of a living heritage shaped by the country’s own history, families, and creativity.

Braiding isn’t a relic from the past. It’s still being practiced, taught, adapted, and made new every day.

Whether in a salon or on a front porch, hair braiding creates a space for storytelling, skill-sharing, and the art of taking care of oneself and one another.

To be Haitian is to be proud.

Of history. Of heritage. Of identity.

The same spirit of courage, resilience, and creativity that once brought a nation to freedom still lives on in the generations that have proceeded the founding fathers.

From a young age, Haitian children are reminded that their legacy deserves to be celebrated in the daily expression of Haitian life: to save the red and blue flag, to sing "La Dessalinienne" before school each morning, and to dance to the rhythm of Konpa.

May every child know and remember how special this is💛

As summer draws to a close, the new school year is quickly approaching. We’re excited to welcome nearly 2,000 students back to the classroom, where hope inspires learning and propels us forward. 💛