Parents across Haiti scramble to keep their children safe and in school despite the violence

Parents in Haiti are scrambling to ensure that their children not only stay out of direct harm, but also continue their education amid the ongoing strife caused by violent groups.

DAJABÓN, Dominican Republic — Kelvin Vensy sits for hours on end on a metal barricade that separates Haiti from the Dominican Republic, holding on to a cardboard box with wax candles. 

“Two candles for 15 pesos,” Kelvin, 13, shouts in creole over and over, as people rush by.

Kelvin said he takes every cent he makes to his single mother in the border town of Ouanaminthe in Haiti. She and Kelvin’s 10-year-old brother and 14-year-old sister are also street vendors.

“I try to go to school Monday through Thursday,” he said. On Fridays, he works all day at the market.

Kelvin Vensy. Erika AnguloThe 13-year-old is one of many Haitian children working in this binational marketplace, selling items in order to support their families. Last year, before the violence escalated, UNICEF estimated that 4 million children needed humanitarian assistance in Haiti. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/parents-haiti-children-school-portauprince-rcna144990

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