Shout Mouse Press Goes to Haiti

All donations beyond our RFF budget go to support the founding of Shout Mouse Press and its future book projects with marginalized groups around the world.

In June 2014, Shout Mouse Press will travel to Haiti to partner with the Restavek Freedom Foundation. 'Restavek' is a form of modern-day slavery that persists in Haiti, affecting one in every 15 children. Typically born into poor rural families, restavek children are often given to relatives or strangers and forced to become domestic slaves, performing menial tasks for no pay. They are rarely provided opportunities for education and are often emotionally or physically abused.

Restavek Freedom's mission is to end child slavery in Haiti in our lifetime through child advocay, education, and community mobiization.

That's where Shout Mouse Press comes in. Our mission is to empower 15 brave young women who grew up in restavek to become authors, telling their story to the world: creating awareness, creating outrage, creating empathy, and instilling hope in the children currently living in restavek to know that their story matters, and their voices are being heard.

Specifically, we will be writing and producing two illustrated children's books, one aimed at an international audience, and one at a Haitian audience, that will educate readers about the plight of those living in restavek. At the same time, the books give these young women the opportunity to shape the stories of their own lives with power and possibility and hope. The books' ultimate mission aligns with that of RFF: to end child slavery in Haiti.

We are looking for Shout Makers, those who will make it possible for these girls to tell their story. Funds go to support the story coaching, illustration, design, and production of these books.

Program UpdatesKathy CrutcherJune 10, 2014Restavek Freedom FoundationRestavek FreedomComment