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May 18 2011 and REFRAIN

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The song, produced by the Jean R. Cadet Organization to bring visibility to children in servitude, will debut on June 12, Haiti’s National Day of the Child. Powerful images of children in servitude piggybacking children to school will make child slavery a topic of national conversation in Haiti. This evocative song, filled with moving lyrics and Haitian drum beats, will then continue to be played on radio stations. It was written by Haitian poet, Marie-Carmel Pérodin. The timing for the song’s release is perfect because Haiti’s newly elected president, Michel Martelly, has promised to make education mandatory. We are also in the process of making the song into a music video to be released on Haitian TV when school resumes in September. A special thanks to students at Loveland Middle School, Ursuline Academy and the Commonwealth-Parkville School in Puerto Rico for their contributions.

download REFRAIN as pdf version

May 18, 2011
Dear Friends:

I take great pleasure in sending you this update. During the second week of May, I was in Haiti speaking at schools and raising public awareness to the plight of children in servitude when I received an invitation to the inauguration of Haiti’s president-elect, Michel Joseph Martelly. In his address to the nation, the president said: "Haiti will have free and compulsory education." I jumped and applauded. It was the first time in Haitian history that a president made such a promise. Three months ago, at the height of Haiti’s presidential campaign, our board of directors approved a budget of 12,000.00 on billboard and radio campaigns against child slavery. The billboards were placed in strategic location to be seen by all the candidates. If President Martelly keeps his promise, child slavery will end, and there’ll be no need for this foundation to exist.

A few months ago I told you about the use of music as a powerful tool in the fight against child slavery. I am pleased to say that a song has been produced, and will be played in radio stations in early June to celebrate the National Day of the Child. The lyrics were written by a Haitian poet and donated to the foundation. The words are powerful and will bring visibility especially to children walking or carrying children to school. A primary and secondary school in Port-au-Prince with 1300 students has committed to teach the song to its entire student body. We are also in the process of creating a music video of the song for Haiti's television audience. The poet has already begun working on next year’s song condemning the use of violence against children.

I have been meeting regularly with the university team working on the anti-restavek curriculum. They are making great progress. The lessons will emphasize the concept of liberty, equality and fraternity. The school mentioned above will provide space to use the curriculum in a pilot program.

If you'd like to pre-order my book, Google "My Stone of Hope." For more updates, please visit www.JeanRcadet.org.

Below is the English version of the song. The Creole lyrics are extremely powerful, and while it’s true that there is always something lost in translation, this will still give you an idea of our focus.

I am grateful for your support.

Jean-Robert Cadet

                                                            REFRAIN
The conch shell gave the signal    The  time has come    To open your eyes and hearts     To see all children as equal     It’s time for all children to be  children!

God created all children    With no difference    But still a lot of them      Are mistreated
Do  they  ever choose    Their place of birth?    Do they ever decide      Their way of life?

Poverty led their parents  to hopelessness     They trusted you,  gave you  Their little ones
Instead of a better life    You treated them so bad     Made them  work like  a beast
You’ll pay the price

Ti Kam’s holding Jojo’s hand   Same age they are     She’s taking Jojo to school     She is barefoot!
When Jojo waves good bye      Ti Kam has a broken heart        She’d like to go to school too
She has no rights

Look at sad Lapousa    She’s  in pain     Alberto’s  on her back    His schoolbag  too    The  street’s  muddy     Alberto’s shoes won’t be dirty     Lapousa got the right name      That is her fate!

Adults are supposed to help  children      The roles  are reversed      It’s such a curse!
Lapousa can’t bear it no more   Ti Kam soon will escape     What  their future be?
Let’s be serious! 

If you continue to ignore    children rights and look away      If you close your eyes to Ti Kam
and Lapousa,  one day they’ll say   that’s enough!    You, Alberto and Jojo
May sleep no more


download REFRAIN as pdf version


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If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
One of an estimated 300,000 Haitian children enslaved in child labor.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
From an isolated, rural area of Haiti where there are no schools, no electricity, no running water and few possibilities for the future.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Living in the city with a family who is not your own -- not as a foster child, but as their servant.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Between the ages of 5 and 15, and missing out on your childhood.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Three times more likely to be a girl than a boy.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Up at dawn, before any member of the family you serve, to begin preparing for their day, and in bed well after most other children are asleep.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Responsible for preparing the household meals, fetching water from the local well, cleaning inside and outside the house, doing laundry and emptying bedpans.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Getting no pay for any of these activities.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Unable to see your family or remember where they live.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Unable to attend school consistently, if at all -- depending on your owner's financial situation and schedule.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Hungry, as you would probably not get enough to eat or food with enough nutritional value for someone who works hard all day.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Subjected to physical, emotional or sexual abuse.
If you were a restavek child, you would most likely:
Never have all of your rights as a child respected.
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