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A fire has swept through a US-run orphanage on the island of Haiti , killing 13 children, healthcare workers have said.
The Orphanage of the Church of Bible Understanding caught fire at roughly 9pm on Thursday (2am Friday GMT) in the Kenscoff region just outside Port-Au-Prince , according to witnesses. One employee said the orphanage had been using candles for light due to a generator failure.
It took firefighters 90 minutes to arrive at the burning children’s home, which is run by the Church of Bible Understanding - a non-profit organisation based in Pennsylvania, USA.
Seven of the 13 victims were reported to be babies or toddlers, while the others six were aged 10 or 11.
Jean-Francois Robenty, a civil protection official, said rescue workers arrived on the scene on motorbikes and did not have the necessary bottled oxygen or access to ambulances required to take the children for further treatment.
"They could have been saved,"' he said. "We didn't have the equipment to save their lives."
Show all 16 1 /16Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Forestal, nine Forestal, nine, is in second grade at Marescot School, Haiti. The school is funded through the partnership between non-profit buildOn Haiti, and Educate A Child (EAC), who have constructed 58 schools, as well as training 959 teachers. Forestal explains how she was given up by her father after the death of her mother. She now lives with her auntie as a ‘restavek’ (child in domestic servitude) where she performs chores around the house for at least two hours a day; including laundry, sweeping and mopping floors. She can only recall seeing her father once in her entire life. ‘It was only for one day, but it was really great, we had so much fun,’ she says. Forestal hopes that she can see him again – but he lives and works in Port Au Prince, more than three hours away by car.
Photos Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Jasme, 10 Jasme, 10, is enrolled at a buildOn school in Perigny. Her two brothers and three sisters all attend the same school. Unlike the reported 300,000 restavek children that live away from their biological parents, Jasme lives with her family.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Esperence, 10 Esperence, 10, goes to Perigny school. Seated on a bench at the end of a long dark corridor, overcome with emotion, he explains how he was given up by his biological parents at the age of eight. He now lives with his auntie and is a restavek child. The term ‘restavek’ comes from the French rester avec, ‘to stay with’. Discussing the work around the house he has to complete as part of his daily chores, he explains: ‘I can never go out and play with my friends as my house family always call me back inside to do more jobs.’
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Pierre, 13 Pierre, 13, attends the EAC buildOn school in Marescot. Her godmother asked for her service as a restavek when she was a little child and her parents have not reached out to her in over two years, despite only living an hour’s drive away. Medjine spends almost three hours a day cooking, sweeping, washing and cleaning.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Port Au Prince Sunrise in Port Au Prince, and the brightly painted exterior of Jalousie slums, home to more than 80,000 people. This is one of Haiti’s largest slums and hosts a community that struggles with lack of sanitation, running water and electricity.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Rebecca, nine Rebecca, nine, was abandoned by her family at the age of six. She now lives with her aunt close to Perigny school, where she has been enrolled for two years. Today, more than 25 per cent of all Haitian children live away from their biological parents. Many move in with their extended family to become restaveks. Rebecca works for between 2-3 hours a day. She says: ‘Sometimes I feel tired working in the house, but it is my only chance of going to school and getting an education.’
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Noel Rose, 10 Noel Rose, 10, is enrolled at Marescot school and lives close by in her parents’ house with her auntie. Her mother suffers from a mental illness, while her father lives and works away in Saint Jean. She loves school and her favourite lesson is Creole. She says she would much rather be there than at home and explained that if she had no access to school she would feel sad about her life. Rose understands the term ‘restavek’ and what it means to be one. ‘Many of my friends are restaveks,’ she explains. She does all the household chores for her auntie but does not class herself as a child in domestic servitude.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Desomme, seven Desomme, seven, was sent to live with her grandmother when she was five. Her parents, who work as traders, live in Port Au Prince with her two siblings. They were forced to leave Desomme with a relative because their house was too small. She now works for her grandmother.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Chelsea, 11 Chelsea, 11, was forced to live with his auntie and grandmother following the death of both his parents. His four siblings all live in Saint Jean about an hour away. He helps raise livestock, carry water from the well and clean dishes. His chores take him around two hours to complete every day. Chelsea has dreams of becoming a carpenter and making household furniture.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Esperence According to Restavek Freedom foundation, 300,000 of Haiti’s future dreamers, like Esperence, are still in domestic servitude in households the length and breadth of the country.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Solvline, 11 Solvline, 11, is enrolled at Berard school. Unlike many children who are forced to live with relatives at a young age, she still lives with her parents, five minutes away from school. She enjoys all her classes and dreams of becoming a police officer, so she can help children and the elderly across the street. Solvline explains: ‘The police play an important role in fighting crime in gangs in the villages and towns in Haiti. If you want to achieve your dreams you have to learn.’
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude ‘Storm brewing’ Vista from up high, looking down at the slums of Port Au Prince at last light, with the storm clouds brewing over Jalousie slums.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude O’Ben, five O’Ben, five, lives with his parents and six siblings across the valley from his school. His mother and father collect spices and herbs that are then exported from Haiti to be used in the perfume industry.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Gerrard, 19 Gerrard, 19, used to attend Marescot school but is unable to continue his education because there is no grade 7. He hopes to find somewhere to continue his studies, saying: ‘If I have the possibility of continuing my education then I would like to pursue a career in agriculture, and work with the peasant farmers in my country.’ Evalson lives with his brother-in-law and wakes up at 5am to perform his chores until 10am, then tends to livestock. He has been a restavek since the age of 10.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Port Au Prince The slums of Port Au Prince. Crime rates are very high in urban areas throughout Haiti due in part to gang activity. Theft, kidnapping for ransom, and extortion are all common. Foreigners are often specifically targeted due to their presumed wealth.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
Haiti’s children: Enslaved to a life of domestic servitude Port Au Prince Some 800,000 Haitians are over 60. Most of these older people live in extreme poverty. Haiti today remains paralysed having endured devastating earthquakes, hurricanes, cholera epidemics, increased fuel prices and food shortages. It is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Six million Haitians live below the poverty line and 2.5 million fall below the extreme poverty line.
Paddy Dowling/EAA/EAC
The Church of Bible Understanding, a group based on evangelical Christianity, lost accreditation for its children's homes after being reprimanded by Haitan authorities due to overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and a lack of trained staff.
The group have operated in the Caribbean country since 1977, providing two homes for nearly 200 children. In a tax filing for 2017, the group reported revenues of $6.6m (£5m) and expenses of $2.2m (£1.7m).
A member of the group, who identified themselves only as Jim when approached, referred questions to their lawyer in Haiti, whom he did not identify.
Additional reporting by AP.
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