Our Work

We take a holistic approach to child protection and sustainable family development.

First we help children in urgent, dangerous situations. Then we help their families and communities take care of each other.

This short film was created to provide further context to Little Footprints Big Steps' work in Haiti that is featured in the upcoming documentary Not About Me.

Where we work 

In Haiti, corrupt orphanages recruit and traffic children from every corner of the country, but children in the South Department are especially vulnerable. LFBS is based in the southern city of Les Cayes but our outreach work and collaborations extend to more than 350 families in 45 communities throughout Haiti. Once rescued and reunited, we go wherever children and their families need follow-up support.

Why we do it

Over 80% of children in orphanages have living families. They are “poverty orphans”, separated because their families can’t afford to care for them. Over 750 orphanages exist in Haiti, most of which are “for-profit” businesses, exploiting children in order to receive foreign aid. Only 4.6% of those orphanages meet the minimum standards of care according to the Haitian government. Children raised in institutions are 6 times more likely to be a victim of violence and 500 times more likely to commit suicide (compared to children raised in families). Children should not be separated from their families due to poverty.  

Children living in corrupt orphanages, the streets, or the restavek (modern slavery) system are all easily exploited because they have been separated from their families. However, when children are separated from their families, there is a reason for it. To truly change these children’s lives we must not only reunite them with their families, but also address the issue that caused separation in the first place.  This is why following up with family mediation and strengthening, while facilitating preventative efforts in vulnerable communities, is so important.