His name was Emmanuel.

Fifteen years ago, he was living at a homeless shelter in Cabaret, Haiti, unable to walk, abandoned by family, and without hope in this world.

Over the last 15 months, nationwide protests have paralyzed life in Haiti on numerous occasions. After a relatively quiet summer, the protests have picked up again over the last couple of weeks, with renewed calls for the president’s resignation. 

Haiti has experienced a lot of tension in recent months, beginning with two weeks in February when everything in the country, including the school, closed because of widespread protesting and unsafe conditions for travel. Since then, the U.S. State Department has kept Haiti on its highest alert travel advisory, warning U.S. citizens not to travel to Haiti “due to crime, civil unrest, and kidnapping.”