Caroline’s* Story: Hope Amidst Displacement
26 March 2025Caroline*, a 15-year-old girl, lives in an internal displacement camp in Haiti, with her mother and three siblings. Her life transformed dramatically after violence erupted in her neighborhood, forcing her family to flee their home after her father was tragically killed while running during an incident of armed conflict.
Once, Caroline* remembers a peaceful life with her parents, where meals were prepared with care and she played happily with friends. “When I was at my house, I used to play tag. I was happy when I saw my mom and dad by my side,” she recalls. Now, her days are marked by profound challenges of survival in a makeshift camp that was formerly a school.
Despite these hardships, her spirit remains unbroken
The family’s daily struggle is heart-wrenching. Her mother, now sole provider for five people, demonstrates extraordinary love and resilience. When food is scarce, she finds creative ways to comfort her children. “If she wakes up in the morning and doesn’t have anything, she gives us a piece of salt and tells us to put it under our tongues. Then she tells us to sleep,” Caroline explains, revealing the depth of her mother’s sacrificial love.
Despite these hardships, Caroline’s spirit remains unbroken. Her most profound dream is to become a nurse, motivated by a deep desire to help others. “I would like to travel, and tomorrow I would like to be a nurse,” she says. “It’s important to me because I don’t like seeing people suffer in front of me. I would like to help them when I have the means.”
“I would like to travel, and tomorrow I would like to be a nurse. It’s important to me because I don’t like seeing people suffer in front of me.”
Caroline*, 15 years old, Haiti
The humanitarian situation in Haiti is dire. By December 2024, over a million people, including 550,000 children, were displaced. In the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, more than 1.2 million children are under threat, facing unprecedented challenges.
A reponse to the emergency
Plan International has been critical in supporting Caroline and her community. Through their intervention, she has received multi-purpose cash assistance, dignity kits, and access to child-friendly spaces. These spaces provide safe havens offering psychosocial support, recreational activities, and educational opportunities—crucial lifelines for displaced children like Caroline.
Caroline’s greatest wish is simple yet profound: “I would like them to take me out of here… buy me clothes, make me clean, send me to school, help my mom, help my sisters, help my brothers.” Her resilience shines through her words, her unwavering hope for education, and her dream of becoming a nurse to help others who suffer.
“I would like them to take me out of here… buy me clothes, make me clean, send me to school, help my mom, help my sisters, help my brothers.”
Caroline*, 15 years old, Haiti
Though her current reality is marked by extreme poverty and displacement, Caroline represents the strength of young people facing unimaginable challenges. Her story is not just about survival, but about hope, dreams, and the potential for transformation.
*Name changed to protect identity
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