HAITI / FAMILY REUNION

Like many people in Haiti, the Charles family members' lives completely changed after last year's earthquake and the parents could no longer afford to look after their three daughters. Under UNICEF's pilot programme, established to help parents support their children, the Charles family is now reunited. UNICEF

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:21
• Production Date: 6 January 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN RELIEF; REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS; DISASTER PREVENTION; DISASTER PREPAREDNESS; DISASTER RELIEF
• Geographic Subject: HAITI
• MAMS Id: U110106c

Description

STORY: HAITI / FAMILY REUNION
TRT: 2.21
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH/ CREOLE/ NATS

DATELINE: 20 NOVEMBER 2010, LEOGANE, HAITI

Shotlist

1. Med shot, mother Marie Charles sitting in front of the house
2. Med shot, the girls with their back to the camera, reading
3. Close up, book
4. Close up, one of the twins
5. Close up, one of the daughters
6. Med shot, two sisters reading
7. Med shot, Marie Charles cooking
8. Close up, steaming hot cooking pot
9. Med shot, Marie Charles cutting vegetables
10. Close up, Marie’s hands as she peels the vegetables
11. Med shot, Joseph Charles sitting outside his house with a neighbour’s child
12. Med shot, two sisters reading
13. Close up, book
14. Close up, girl’s face
15. SOUNDBITE (Creole) Madame Marie Charles, Mother:
“We didn’t have the money to keep the children so we had to give them up. We have three children. After the earthquake we didn’t have a house to keep them.”
16. Wide shot, Marie Charles sitting on a chair in front of the utensils
17. Close up, Joseph Charles
18. Close up, the mother, Marie Charles
19. Wide shot, UNICEF staff in front of a UNICEF tent
20. Close up, UNICEF staff member taking notes
21. Med shot, UNICEF staff members talking to each other
22. Wide shot, UNICEF’s Head of Child Protection in Haiti talking to staff members
23. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean Lieby, Head of Child Protection in Haiti:
“Families really want to enter this type of project because they love their children. The economic situation of families is very difficult, there’s no industry, agriculture is difficult. And so this type of partnership, concerning income generating activities, supported by UNICEF, implemented by Terre des Hommes, is really important for families to keep their children home.”
24. Wide shot, students walking out of school
25. Close up, feet, three sisters walking out of school
26. Med shot, three sisters in their school uniforms
27. Wide shot, the three sisters walking in the fields
28. Med shot, the girls walk home to their mother and give her a kiss
29. SOUNDBITE (Creole) Joseph Charles, Father:
“Terre des Hommes helped me a lot; with the children they helped me. They regularly visit us, sometimes they give things to the children, and that has given us a lot of comfort. Terre des Hommes helped me with my business, because I couldn’t do everything alone.”
30. Close up, Joseph Charles’ feet as he walks in the fields
31. Med shot, Joseph Charles walking in the fields
32. Wide shot, Joseph Charles walking in the fields
33. Med shot, cow in field
34. Close up, Joseph Charles examining the grass in the field
35. Med shot, Joseph Charles surrounded by the green grass
36. Close up, grass
37. Med shot, girls walk up to their mother at home
38. Med shot, daughter talking to mother
39. Close up, girl’s face
40. Wide shot, people sitting in the village
41. Med shot, man holding a baby and walkie-talkie
42. Close up, baby and walkie-talkie
43. Med shot, the Charles sisters hugging and kissing

Storyline

Leogane was the epicentre of the earthquake in Haiti. Like many people here, the Charles girls had their lives completely changed after the tragedy. Their house collapsed. Their mother’s fruit and vegetables selling business was destroyed. Their parents, already poor to begin with, could no longer afford to look after their three girls. When a local child care centre said that they would take them in, their parents agreed.

SOUNDBITE (Creole) Madame Marie Charles, Mother:
“We didn’t have the money to keep the children so we had to give them up. We have three children. After the earthquake we didn’t have a house to keep them”

The Charles’ desperately wanted to look after their children themselves, and felt that they had failed as parents.

UNICEF recognizes the difficulties that Haitian parents face, and has started a new pilot programme to help parents support their children.

SOUNDBITE (English) Jean Lieby, Head of Child Protection in Haiti, UNICEF:
“Families really want to enter this type of project because they love their children. The economic situation of families is very difficult, there’s no industry, agriculture is difficult. And so this type of partnership, concerning income generating activities, supported by UNICEF, implemented by Terre des Hommes, is really important for families to keep their children home.”

With this project, the Charles girls were able to reunite with their family.

SOUNDBITE (Creole) Joseph Charles, Father:
“Terre des Hommes helped me a lot; with the children they helped me. They regularly visit us, sometimes they give things to the children, and that has given us a lot of comfort. Terre des Hommes helped me with my business, because I couldn’t do everything alone.”

Terre des Hommes helped rebuild the Charles’ house, but most importantly they gave Joseph Charles money to construct a rice paddy field on his land. After a couple of months at the care centre, the Charles girls were able to come home. Selling rice will hopefully give their parents the means to look after them in the future.

Social workers from Terre des Hommes will check on how the family is doing, but if the project is successful many more Haitian children will be able to live with their families once again.