Restavek, French for "one who stays with", is a word used to describe child slaves in Haiti. These children are given away by their parents at a young age because of financial hardships or for hopes of life in the urban areas to be better than life in the rural areas. The Restaveks, far from their family and anyone they know, end up as slaves without access to education, healthcare, and sometimes food. As a result, many of these children suffer from malnutrition, abuse, and illnesses. The majority of Restaveks are young girls. In the communities, they are shunned and seen as the outcasts or burdens on society. This paper presents Restaveks, an empowerment education curriculum, and the Haitian education system as a whole in order to create a week-long unit plan to empower and encourage these children. The goal of this curriculum is to empower 8-12 year old Restavek girls to assist them in creating a positive self-image and to allow them to work toward a better life. By providing education and empowerment to these girls, the system of slavery could be ended, and all people would be seen as equals.

Agriculture is the backbone of the Haitian economy and provides employment 80% employment to the Haitian population (Lundahl, 1992). Also 85% of people in rural areas generate money from agricultural activities (IFAD, 2008). In the rural areas, men and women participate in agricultural production. However, the women play a vital role in the whole process starting from land preparation to crop sale (Gaspard, 2013). The Haitian women, despite of their function in crop productions (Dor, 2016), face different health issues, which have influence over Haitian agricultural system. Therefore, the research purposed was to investigate the impact of women heath issues on agricultural production Fondwa. A qualitative case study was used to investigate ten women farmers in the community of Fondwa, which is a small farming area in southwest part of Haiti. An interview questionnaire was used for data collection. Findings of the study showed that the women's contribution to farming is vital for promoting agricultural production, and they face different health issues that are linked to the environment and water pollution. Lastly, the women health problems influence agricultural production in the Fondwa area by preventing them from doing their daily agricultural activities, which have a direct impact over family and country's income. / MSLFS

Ce mémoire porte sur les enfants en domesticité en Haïti, plus précisément sur les organisations qui leur viennent en aide. Il cherche à comprendre les obstacles auxquels elles sont confrontées, en plus de prendre connaissance des initiatives qu’elles mènent dans la lutte contre la domesticité infantile. Cette recherche fut menée en Haïti, auprès de dix acteurs sociaux œuvrant au sein d’organisations – pour la plupart locales – venant en aide aux enfants en domesticité et leur famille. Les résultats de cette recherche montrent que les obstacles rencontrés par ces organisations sont attribuables aux différentes perceptions de la domesticité infantile en Haïti, à l’État haïtien ainsi qu’à la présence de l’aide internationale au pays. Cette recherche démontre que les solutions envisagées par les organisations pour lutter contre la domesticité infantile se situent à la fois en amont du phénomène (dans les communautés reculées) qu’en aval (auprès des enfants en domesticité et leur famille d’accueil). Les obstacles et les solutions présentés dans ce mémoire sont analysés selon le cadre théorique critique; les conditions de vie des familles d’enfants en domesticité en Haïti étant intrinsèquement liées aux contextes sociohistorique, politique et économique du pays. La conclusion de ce mémoire porte sur la pertinence de l’approche d’organisation communautaire, favorisée par certaines organisations locales en Haïti, pour lutter contre les mécanismes d’oppression subis par les familles d’enfants en domesticité en Haïti. / This thesis focuses on domestic children in Haiti, specifically on organizations that support them. It seeks to understand the barriers they face, in addition to gaining an understanding of the initiatives they undertake in the fight against child domesticity. This research was conducted in Haiti, alongside ten aid workers working in organizations – for the most part local – supporting domestic children and their families. The results of this research show that the barriers experienced by these organizations are due to the different perceptions of child domesticity in Haiti, the Haitian government and the presence of international aid in the country. This research demonstrates that the solutions envisioned by the organizations to fight against child domesticity can be found both upstream of the phenomenon (in remote communities) and downstream (with domestic children and their host families). The obstacles and solutions presented in this thesis are analyzed using the critical theoretical framework; the living conditions of the families of domestic children in Haiti are intrinsically linked to the country’s socio-historical, political and economic contexts. The conclusion of this thesis focuses on the relevance of community organizations’ approach, aided by local organizations in Haiti, to fight against the mechanisms of oppression suffered by the families of domestic children in Haiti. / Dokiman sa se yon memwa, sa vle di yon rechèch ke yon moun fè e ke li chwazi ekri e prezante rezilta li jwenn yo nan lide pou li fè lòt moun konnen sa li tap chèche a. Dokiman sila pale sou kesyon timoun an ayiti ke yo bay ti non “restavèk”, li sitou pale de òganizasyon ki abitye bay èd a timoun sa yo. Memwa sa ap chèche konprann ki jan de pwoblèm ke òganizasyon sa yo ap andire, anplis lap chèche konnen tou ki kalite aktivite ke òganizasyon sa yo rive reyalize nan batay ke yap mennen kont koze restavèk la. Rechèch sa te reyalize nan peyi Dayiti avèk patisipasyon moun kap travay nan òganizasyon, sitou sila yo rele òganizasyon lokal yo, ki abitye pote sipò a timoun restavèk yo ak fanmiy yo tou. Rezilta rechèch sa montre ke plizyè fason ke yo konprann koze restavèk la, leta ayisyen ak prezans èd entènasyonal nan peyi a lakòz ke òganizasyon yo rankontre anpil obstak. Anplis, rechèch sa a montre aklè ke solisyon ke òganizasyon kap lite kont zafè timoun restavèk yo chita alafwa de kote ki se nan seksyon riral yo oubyen nan zòn andeyò yo kote timoun sa yo soti e ak bò kote timoun yo menm nan fanmiy ki akeyi yo a. Obstak ak solisyon ke nou prezante nan memwa sa te analize selon sa moun ki save yo rele kad teyorik kritik ki fè konnen ke kondisyon lavi timoun restavèk yo nan peyi Dayiti mare kòd lonbrit li ak kontèks sosyal, istorik, politik, ekonomik peyi a. Daprè rezilta rechèch la, memwa sa vle atire atansyon nou sou nesesite ki genyen pou ke òganizasyon lokal yo jwenn plis bourad ak plis sipò nan lide pou yo ka vin n pi fò e ka kontinye lite pi byen kont zafè restavèk la nan peyi Dayiti.