‘Do not give up on children’: Displaced by violence, a Haitian girl finds hope at school

This article is published in association with United Nations.

A teenage Haitian girl who was forced to flee her home in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, due to gang violence has urged adults not to “give up on children.”  

 Thirteen-year-old Dieussika was living peacefully with her family before armed violence and insecurity forced them to flee. 

“We had to leave our home, and my sister almost died because of her asthma,” she said. 

Haiti remains firmly in the grip of a security crisis as gangs battle for control of territory in the capital and beyond.

Insecurity has caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people which has added to the humanitarian and economic crises the country is grappling with.

Conflict, displacement, poverty and insecurity have converged to make learning nearly impossible for hundreds of thousands of Haitian children. 

During the 2024–2025 school year, many schools were directly impacted by violence, with more than 1,600 closed and dozens occupied by armed groups. 

In overcrowded shelters and displacement sites, children lack access to textbooks, learning materials as well as qualified teachers.

© UNOCHA/Giles Clarke

Families find refuge inside a school building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Temporary homes

Dieussika’s family was forced to live in a number of temporary locations but life remained difficult. “There are diseases, insects that bite… but despite everything, I wanted to continue going to school,” she says. 

In one site for displaced people, she was able to resume her studies thanks to catch-up classes organized by UNICEF. 

Today, she dreams of becoming someone important in society to help children and raise awareness among young people about rejecting armed violence.

School as a lifeline 

One night, heavy rain soaked her belongings, destroying her books and clothes. Yet, Dieussika spent the entire night drying them, determined not to give up on her studies. 

“School means so much to me. Without education, my dream would be lost,” she said. 

© UNICEF/Herold Joseph

Dieussika shows her family her school work.

Her favorite subjects are French and maths, and she said she feels pride every time she can bring good grades home to her parents.

Thanks to five months of catch-up classes with the support of Education Cannot Wait, a UN fund for education in emergencies, Dieussika was able to take her exams and return to school.

“I had lost hope, but these classes gave me confidence again. We also received vocational training in crochet, leatherwork, and cosmetology. It was an incredible opportunity,” she recalled proudly. 

No dreams fulfilled without education

At school, Dieussika actively participates in her mathematics class, encouraged and supported by her teacher. She wants to put an end to the hardship her household faces and show her family that they too can follow in her footsteps.

“I want to become someone important to help people. Without school, we cannot achieve our dreams,” she said with determination. 

Her message to adults and decision-makers is clear and moving: “Do not give up on children. Love them even more and give them opportunities to learn and dream.” 

Many adolescent girls like Dieussika drop out of school due to safety concerns, caregiving responsibilities or the absence of menstrual hygiene materials. 

https://news.un.org/en/media/oembed?url=https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DV7Q1J0HsiGw%26t%3D14s&max_width=0&max_height=0&hash=2ajlHLyN9XfcsmV0fY0RJpfQeLWNslbGNZixefFBIyc

Thanks to the UN and its work with the Haitian authorities and partners, educational and psychosocial support programmes have reached more than 17,500 children, including 10,500 girls.

For Dieussika, as for so many others, these programmes represent more than education they are a lifeline, a chance to turn fear into confidence and ambition.