On Sunday, June 14, 2026, Haiti celebrated National Children's Day under the theme "Solidarity, Responsibility, Action for Children, Strengthening, and Hope for Tomorrow" Held at the Oasis Hotel, the celebration provided an opportunity for the government to reaffirm its roadmap for children, despite a national context marked by insecurity and crises.

On behalf of Prime Minister Marc Elie Nelson, the Minister of Social Affairs unveiled several key measures to ensure better support for this social group. The most significant was the official launch of the project entitled "Tripolar System of Rehabilitation Centers for Children and Adolescents," the pilot phase of which is already underway in the Grand Sud region, specifically in Les Cayes.

“This ambitious program, planned over a five-year period and benefiting from an initial disbursement of one hundred million gourdes, will provide psychosocial, educational, and vocational support to more than 600 vulnerable children and adolescents” the Minister stated. This project, carried out with the technical and financial support of UNICEF, aims to lift a particularly neglected segment of society out of marginalization.

Faced with the resurgence of armed violence, which is especially affecting the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, the Government reiterated its position on the plight of children forcibly recruited. Nelson assured them that concrete reintegration measures are underway to offer them a sustainable alternative away from weapons. This is a sensitive but crucial issue, as thousands of children are displaced or trapped in conflict zones.

Furthermore, in a more direct approach, like a good father, the Minister addressed the children, instilling in them a message of resilience : “Kenbe espwa nou vivan" (Keep hope alive.) Despite all the difficulties we face today, we must never cease to believe in our hearts and in our future. Remember, we are the strength of the country, we are its wealth, we are its hope.

Vijonet Déméro, Minister of National Education, at the invitation of the Institute for Social Welfare and Research (IBESR), delivered a speech. On this day of celebration, he reminded everyone that "[...] Celebrating children is not simply honoring the future; it is acting in the present. Children are not only citizens of tomorrow, they are a reality of today, beings with inalienable rights, legitimate dreams, and infinite potential. Investing in children, protecting them, and educating them is laying the foundation for the rebuilding of our nation [...]"

The Minister continued by explaining the Ministry’s commitments at each stage of a child’s life :

In preschool : This is where it all begins. We must guarantee a safe and stimulating environment for early childhood, because the first years of life determine all of a child’s cognitive, psychomotor, and emotional development;

In primary and secondary school : Our schools must be sanctuaries. Places of learning, certainly, but above all, spaces of protection against all forms of violence, abuse, exploitation, and exclusion;

In vocational and higher education : We must offer our teenagers and young adults clear prospects, solid skills, and qualifying pathways so that they become accomplished economic and social actors, capable of meeting the challenges facing our country.

[...] This ambitious plan cannot succeed in isolation. It demands complete institutional synergy, particularly between the Ministry and the social affairs sector.

[...] This vision and momentum cannot exist without a firm political will [...] Despite a complex national context, the Government places social protection, education, and the future of youth at the heart of its strategic prioities […] the dignity of our children is non-negotiable."

HL/ HaitiLibre