How one 12-year-old became determined to write a book about Haitian children in trouble--and succeeded.

Haiti, located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean (west of the Dominican Republic) is a poor island, with a dictatorship that limits many people's freedoms. Many Haitian people want to leave their country but cannot, and end up heading for the United States illegally, resulting in many being arrested before or when they reach the Florida coast. In spite of this enormous risk, the idea of freedom in America still gives these Haitians so much hope that they try anyway. Once arrested, they are taken to a detention center or a place near the center until the judge decides what to do with them. Many are separated from the families while waiting for a judge to decide their future. This process can take many months or, in some cases, even years.

I learned about this issue after attending a "People for the American Way" (a national civil rights group) fundraiser with my Dad. I live in Miami, Fla. so it's an issue very close to home. After seeing pictures of Haitian children in trouble and hearing about many of the problems with Haitian immigration, I wanted to do something to make a difference. My dad gave me the idea to write book about the plight of Haitian children--which became my bat mitzvah project.

About my book

The first thing I did was talk to Miami community leaders who are involved in the Haitian problems and interviewed some of the Haitian immigrants. Also, I worked with the Miami Herald photographers who were nice enough to go through their photographs of Haitian immigrants with me. I also met with organizations and leaders that specifically take trips to Haiti to help out the people. All of these individuals inspired me, and I was impressed with their passion. I wanted to help even more.

The book I have written is called Haitian Children are Kids Too, and is a 28-page booklet written for elementary-school-age kids that conveys the plight of Haitian children who immigrate to America. I started it in the fall of 2003, and printed about 5,000 copies. It is filled with short essays on the problems Haitian people face at home and in our country, including information on the dangerous boat ride to the U.S. and what it's like at the detention centers. I got much of the information from Internet searches, encyclopedias and newspaper articles from the library. My basic message is that "Haitian children should be treated with respect, like human beings, not locked up."

The book was published by the Derech Elokim Fund for Jewish Values, a foundation set up by my parents as a way to put our family's Jewish beliefs into practice. They believe that everyone should help repair the world, and the book is my start at helping.

Doing my part to help out

Since I wrote the book, other organizations and schools have been using it as a teaching tool, and I've been asked to speak publicly about the issue. People hopefully saw that if a young person could write a book, they could also get involved. I also organized a school letter-writing campaign on behalf of the Meek Bill, which would double the U.S. aid (including food, water, electricity) to Haiti and allow Haitian children to be released to relatives within 72 hours of arriving on U.S. soil. More than 2,000 letters were mailed.

What I've learned from this experience is that you don't have to wait to become an adult to help others. One reason I wrote this book was to show other kids that they too can make a difference--especially kids around 13 years of age who start thinking about a mitzvah project for their bat or bar mitzvah. This may give them an idea of what they can do. There are opportunities all around us to get involved. My own goal is to continue bringing the Haitian issue to the community. The Meek bill is now stalled in Congress, and the issue has not gone away