Dorld Kerby and the cost of starting over

UNICEF profiled Dorld Kerby, a 17-year-old whose family fled violence in Carrefour-Feuilles. The reporting described the upheaval of leaving home and relying on support while trying to preserve educational opportunity. This is UNICEF’s interview, not a Bisou Bisou Haiti participant testimonial.

What the reporting tells us

For young people, displacement can create a stack of obstacles: a new place to live, uncertainty about school, financial strain and the emotional cost of what has been lost.

This account is especially relevant because our historic community center was in Kafou Fèy. It reinforces the need to think beyond a physical library: education support must be portable, flexible and rooted in what students and caregivers say they need.

Starting again costs time and trust

When a family relocates, a student may lose more than a school place. New transportation costs, different school expectations and the pressure to help the household can make attendance fragile. One-time financial help may open a door; longer-term support helps a student stay inside.

What can help

When reading a child’s reported experience, it is important to distinguish what the student actually said from broader conclusions about the crisis. The reporting linked below is the source of the account. Bisou Bisou Haiti does not claim the student took part in our programs, and the photograph on this page is illustrative rather than an image of that individual.

One response cannot meet every student’s needs. Read this story alongside the other chapters to see how access, safety, instruction and local leadership connect across Haiti’s changing circumstances.