Forced to rebuild a life at 12, a Haitian girl joins thousands seeking an escape from gang violence

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AP) — For 12-year-old Juliana St. Vil, life begins every afternoon.

She bounds out of the crowded shelter where she’s been sleeping on the concrete floor for 10 months, a smile on her face despite harsh surroundings. Not yet a teenager, Juliana must navigate a Haiti oppressed by gangs that killed her father and drove her family out of their home.

An acting workshop held daily in a big house with a leafy yard is her escape. “I lived well,” Juliana said, remembering her old neighborhood. “I could always eat when I was hungry. I could go to school without a worry.”

Millions across Haiti are struggling to rebuild their lives in a country with no president as gangs who want full control of the capital and beyond kill, rape and injure thousands.