Posted by : Lizzie on 02/12/2009 at 17:14

Dear all,

It seems like a moment ago I was in Uganda and barely touched down in the UK before I was off to Haiti, and I have to say I am pretty exhausted, but it's been an unforgettable week.

I'm sitting in a nice hotel with air conditioning, fresh water and comfy bed, one night of respite before flying onward...but a week ago I arrived to a very different experience.

I am here to investigate the Restavek situation of child slaves in homes and the dangers that street children face every day of their young lives. For the first part of the week I was based in Cap-Haitien in the rural north and then here in Port au Prince to meet with international leaders. It has been an amazing trip to a beautiful country, that sadly is stricken by corruption and poverty.

First port of call was our partners Carwyn and Reninca Hill, who have been working with disabled children in our House of Blessing in Cap-Haitien. They are doing a fantastic job of transforming people's prejudice towards disabled children. The children are loved, the parents educated and lives are being transformed every day.

Carwyn organised meetings for me with the city's leading authorities on children. My mind is so full of information! I have met with the only children's judge in Cap-Haitien (and that's where juvenile justice starts and ends), community leaders, the government directors of social affairs (that was a joke, as it's an empty building with a man behind a desk!), a fantastic man called Jack who works tirelessly, unpaid with the children who live on the street, the UN Director of Human Rights, and the list goes on!

It is a situation so dire that many times I wondered if we could ever make a difference. People are so hungry and poor there that they make "cookies" out of mud and sell them as food! The government is so corrupt and disorganised that trying to get them to do anything for the children is a joke. Government officials don't even want to try and help but simply can't be bothered. 5,000 children live on the street, between 250,000 and 500,000 (no-one really knows) children live as child slaves in Christian and non-Christian homes, commonly known as sex slaves.

I met with the directors of international organisations working in Port au Prince (the capital) yesterday and heard about their work. They are excited about the possibility of us working here and are willing to support us on the Restavek issue, which is amazing. With their support and experience we will be able to launch a campaign in the New Year (when all research is fully gathered) to educate the people about children's rights and, put simply, hopefully eradicate the Restavek situation. We are also hopefully going to be working with the street children in Cap-Haitien and child prostitutes to break them out of the cycle of abuse and abandonment.

So, I leave Port au Prince now with the intention of returning soon and for Jubilee Action to make a difference to the many children I have met and seen this week. How lucky we are to live in an organised, educated civil society with so much wealth. One thing is for sure, if we don't help them, no-one else is going to. Could there be a better reason?

Bye for now,

Caroline