Meet Roodnaëlle

Roodnaëlle Marius, who goes by the nickname “Nayou,” is surrounded by love. A twelve-year-old 7th grader at St. Paul’s School, she lives with her mother, father, grandfather, sister, and brother. As a close-knit family, they share the daily workload and together view life with contagious energy and joy that is evident in all they do. Roodnaëlle is the middle child, close in age to her brother, Roodens, a 14-year-old 9th-grader. Her little sister, Djoumia, is a year old. Both Roodnaëlle and Roodens help keep their active little sister safe and happy.

Roodnaëlle (left) with family members

When asked about her life, Roodnaëlle talks about her love of her church. She belongs to Legliz Pentacostal de Carrefou Lendi. The church happens to be next to her house, and her father, Ricardo, is the minister there. It is a place of comfort and support for her; it helps her make life decisions. Every Friday, the church holds a special song session for children, which Roodnaëlle really enjoys.

School is also important to this bright young girl. Her favorite subject is math and she looks up to her principal, Met Maxo.

When she is not studying, she loves to dance. Last year, she joined the Girls Empowerment and Mentoring (GEM) Club and has practiced her dancing often with GEM. Last year she was also able to show off her acting skills when the club did a skit about how girls are brought into childhood slavery and what it is like for girls in this terrible situation. A child slave is called a “restavek” in Haiti, and in the girls’ skit, Roodnaëlle skillfully played the part of the restavek.

As a 7th grader at St. Paul’s, Roodnaëlle is also involved in the agriculture program. So far this year, she has participated in the Saturday morning garden club and planted her own peppers.