Let me introduce you to Widlene. She is a fourteen year old Haitian girl who was orphaned at a very young age. Due to the grips of extreme poverty, Widlene’s grandmother had no choice but to send her from Dominican Republic to Haiti. Sleeping on a dirt floor and eating every third or fourth day were the only things that Widlene had to look forward to. That and a near certain life as a household slave.

 

Two years prior, a Canadian couple met Widlene and her late mother at a garbage dump in Dominican Republic. The couple was there conducting a humanitarian trip with a large group of Canadian teenagers and one of their projects was to help the Haitian refugees that combed the local garbage dump for food and recyclables. On that fateful day, little Widlene captivated the hearts of the people that would later become her adoptive parents.

 

On June 15, 2009 a local MP offered to help the couple adopt the, now orphaned, Widlene. He not only committed his personal unconditional support, but he also connected them with the, then, Minister of Immigration. After spending considerable time with the file, the Minister gave the couple the green light to bring Widlene from Haiti to DR and prepare to move to Canada. A short time later, the Haiti earthquake happened. That event started a chain of events that all but decimated Widlene’s chances of getting to Canada. The Canadian government withdrew its support for this adoption and the couple was stranded in Dominican Republic with their newly adopted 4 year old daughter.

 

Today, after an ten year struggle to keep her safe, the Canadian couple is, once again, faced with a sense of urgency to get Widlene out of Dominican Republic where Haitians are no longer welcome. Widlene, as a member of the most vulnerable people group on earth, has been targeted for exploitation on several occasions and has access to none of the basic human rights afforded to all citizens.

 

My name is Vaden Earle. Widlene Alexis Earle is my daughter. CANADA HAS FAILED US.

 

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