
Advancing the Health of Haiti’s Women and Girls
Photo: Graduation program participants receiving health screenings at a clinic. By addressing the deep-seated issues that affect the health and future of women, BB is building a stronger and more equitable society, one community at a time. In communities across Haiti, BB is addressing the major challenges that undermine the health and wellbeing of women and girls: violence, exploitation, poverty, and lack of access to education. Unchecked, these challenges create lifelong mental and physical health struggles for women and girls. BB’s Rethinking Power initiative focuses on reducing violence against women and girls, especially intimate partner violence (IPV) by working with communities to shift harmful social norms and balance power between men and women. In a four-year study, the Global Women’s Institute at The George Washington University found that BB’s approach reduced IPV rates by more than half, community-wide. This change not only keeps women safer but also improves their overall health and future opportunities. Photo: Participants at a Rethinking Power training in a rural Haitian community. BB also fights against a form of labor trafficking called restavèk, which affects nearly one in six girls in Haiti. Restavèk exposes children to a lifetime of trauma and vulnerability, but BB supports adult survivors with therapeutic programs that help them heal and become leaders in the fight to end this practice. By mobilizing survivors as advocates, BB created a movement that protects at-risk girls while addressing the root causes of this exploitation. In addition to tackling violence and exploitation, BB focuses on poverty and education—two major factors that shape women’s health. Through our work to improve access to quality primary education and promote economic justice, BB helps the very poorest families in a community build stable, sustainable futures. More than 600 women-led households have graduated from our 24-month asset building program that provides them...
Impact Report: Fall 2024
Print this report 🖨 PREVENTING ABUSE Juna and Her Daughter Are Reunited "She is blossoming at home." More than 800 children have been freed from...
Family Graduation Program Ramps Up
Thanks to our Family Sponsors’ generosity, the Family Graduation Program kicked into high gear in January, providing families with animals including goats and donkeys, water filters, and access to healthcare and financial support.
More Articles
Notes from My Haiti Emergency Team Call Today
A girl in Jacmel receives a hygiene kit from a Beyond Borders team member. I hope this finds you and your loved ones doing well. We are so grateful for your thoughts, prayers, and support as we prepare for an explosion of COVID-19 cases and a potentially catastrophic...
U.S. Must Stop Deportations to Haiti
U.S. must stop deportations to Haiti: Deportations now during a global pandemic is Trump’s cruel, and usual, punishment of Haitians April 20, 2020 We the undersigned are concerned about the health and human rights of Haitian immigrants and denounce the Trump...
hope you’re well
I often begin email messages saying that “I hope you’re well.” I do sincerely hope that you and your family are well, and feel that this hope is a much bigger investment now in the midst of this pandemic. It’s not just the virus that threatens our well-being...
The Latest on COVID-19 in Haiti + How You Can Help
I’m writing to share an update with you on COVID-19 in Haiti. There are now 24 confirmed cases with an additional 218 suspected cases. One person has died. We fear, however, that there are in truth many more cases than what these official numbers reflect....
Preparing for the Coronavirus in Haiti
I’m writing to share with you the actions that we are taking now to help people in Haiti prepare for COVID-19 (coronavirus). While we are unaware of any confirmed cases in Haiti at this point, we have little confidence that anyone with symptoms would be able to find a...
Impressive Initial Results Show a Real Decline in VAWG
I am grateful for the generous support of so many people like you who are committed to the movement to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG) and balance power between women and men in Haiti. We're seeing a real decline in VAWG -- thanks to you and people...
A Safe Haven for Newly Freed Children
Cassie (center) with her daughter (left) and the newly-freed child they are hosting (right). Thank you again to everyone who gave so generously to the Child Liberation Initiative. I am so grateful! Last summer, with the extraordinarily generous support we received, we...
The Good News
I’m writing to share some good news. Today, after adding gifts that came in by mail, we just about reached our ambitious goal for the No Child a Slave campaign.Thanks to so many generous supporters, we will be able to greatly expand our work in 2020 and equip many...
Celebrating new freedoms in the new year
Today we celebrate a new year and join with our Haitian sisters and brothers to mark Haiti's Independence Day. On January 1, 1804, Haiti became the first and only nation to be born from a successful slave uprising.It is a sacred privilege for us to accompany Haitians...
The secret power you have to free children like Sonia from slavery
Before I tell you about the secret power you have to free children from slavery, I want to tell you what led to this discovery. Just over 30 years ago I unwittingly watched a Haitian girl become enslaved. At the time I thought I was witnessing an act of...
What they’re saying about us
Have you heard what they are saying about us? “Exceptional,” “apart from its peers,” and “financially responsible” are just some of the words used by Charity Navigator’s President & CEO Michael Thatcher, earlier this year when announcing our 4-star...
Jesus at the Gas Station
In September, two Beyond Borders supporters and I travelled to Lagonav Island, where we met a boy named Mano. Several people asked me to share the story of our encounter with him, and I wanted to share it with you too. Thank you so much for your open heart for Haiti's...