HRI’s Children First Program is working to prevent child abandonment, trafficking, abuse, exploitation, and domestic servitude in high-poverty communities by Building Stronger Families, Deinstitutionalizing Orphanages, Reuniting Families, Building Resiliency, and Increasing Self-Sufficiency for women heads of household.  

Children First is a whole-family, multi-pronged approach to protecting Haiti’s most vulnerable children. Through targeted parent-child interventions, this program works to keep families together, protect children from harm, and build strong parent-child relationships through a host of support services. In addition, the program ensures that children become enrolled in school, eat a nutritious meal each day, engage in afterschool activities and receive academic assistance. HRI also hosts a 3-week long summer camp for 100-200 children each summer. By providing families with the support they need to sustainably overcome poverty-related stress factors, children have a better chance to reach their full potential and thrive. HRI has prevented the abandonment of more than 500 children through Children First alone.