Creating an Oasis for the Youngest Victims of Abuse, Violence and Exploitation

Photo: Vantz Brutus

In the poorest country in the hemisphere, where approximately 40 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, the youngest are often the first to be abused and the last to receive help.

Nicole Muller César wanted to alleviate the suffering of these children. After a successful, 30-year career in Boston, Nicole returned to her native Haiti 10 years ago to help child victims of violence, exploitation, sexual abuse and abandonment.

The U.S. trained psychologist and social worker brought to Haiti a holistic approach and started the Institute for Human and Community Development. The youngsters are taught social skills, enjoy a hot meal (for most, their only meal of the day) and receive medical and dental care. To overcome the traumas of violence and exploitation, they are in one-on-one and group counseling. The high-risk children in one of Tabarre’s impoverished neighborhoods learn basic reading, writing and math.

Today, for 250 abused and neglected children who previously only knew the slum conditions outside the nation’s capital, the school is an oasis. For Nicole, the Institute is the realization of a dream. PADF is supporting Nicole’s holistic approach through its Protecting Human Rights program., which is funded by USAID.

In addition to her responsibilities at the Institute, Nicole also works full time as the Director of Health at the non-profit organization called Fonkoze, which is the largest micro finance institution in Haiti.

Transforming a Region Shaped by Guerrillas, Drugs and Desperation

José Silvestre Sánchez
Cáceres, Colombia

Nearly 75 percent of the inhabitants of Cáceres in the province of Antioquia, Colombia, live in poverty – and almost half of them are in extreme misery. For Afro-Colombian residents, the situation is even worse.

When José Silvestre Sánchez and his 10 siblings inherited a farm, they continued to work the land. In 2007, José learned of a PADF program called ADAM that helps to restructure agriculture, increase productivity and to ensure that farmers have alternatives to growing illicit crops. José wanted to use the program to help 38 Afro-Colombian families. Unfortunately, these families didn’t own land.

José convinced his family to provide parcels of land to 38 Afro-Colombian families, who until then had scratched out livings working for others. Each family received three hectares of land. Through ADAM, José organized them into a cooperative, taught them to farm and created a distribution network for their harvest. Through these efforts, the participating families continue to grow sustainable, legal crops and have increased their income.

Fighting for Freedom of Speech, Even When You’re Not Allowed to Read Your Own Writing

Yoani Sánchez
Havana, Cuba

Writing a blog may seem common today – unless you live in Cuba. Freedom of expression is limited. Internet access is prohibitively expensive and the island’s servers are controlled by the government.

Those barriers did not stop Yoani Sánchez, a 33-year-old Cuban who writes an independent blog called Generación Y (http://desdecuba.com/generaciony/). During the past two years, the self-taught blogger has found ways to circumvent the system to successfully chronicle everyday life in Cuba. Her writing is described as brilliant and honest. The Cuban government disagrees, however, and has blocked her blog on the island. Once her blog is published, she cannot see her words online.

Notwithstanding, Ms. Sánchez continues to file her observations to Generación Y almost every day, thanks to a network of international volunteers, friends and supporters.

An Internally Displaced Person Unites Others to Move Ahead

Andrea González
Bogotá, Colombia

Trapped between a 40-year-old guerrilla war and ruthless drug traffickers, more than 3 million Colombians have been forced from their homes and are called “internally displaced persons.”

Andrea González, twice displaced in terrifying ordeals, brought her family to Bogotá with the hope of stability and freedom from fear. She enrolled in a program organized by PADF that trains people to create handmade products from a variety of materials.

Ms. González has done far more than learn a trade and start a business. She used her natural skills as an enthusiastic leader to help organize others to become entrepreneurs. She linked artisan producers in Chocó, Bogotá and the Atlantic coast by convincing them to exchange materials and techniques that added value to their products.

In a Time of Need, a 16-Year-Old Student Became the Teacher

Juan Ayala Argueta
El Salvador

Juan Ayala Argueta lost his childhood and home during the Salvadoran civil war. One day and without notice, the residents of his rural community were deemed to be enemy combatants by soldiers and paramilitaries. The residents had only three days to leave. After that date, anyone in Santa Marta would face serious consequences.

In 1988, after spending 7 years in a refugee camp, Mr. Ayala and his neighbors returned to Santa Marta only to find that their community was leveled. They built a make-shift school but lacked teachers. Mr. Ayala, then only 16 and a student himself, volunteered to be a teacher.

Twenty-one years later, Santa Marta has an entire learning complex that provides K-12 education to more than 600 children. Most recently, the school built a computer center and natural science lab with the help of PADF. Mr. Ayala has also grown with the school and is now the director.