This season’s rash of damaging hurricanes has brought death and destruction to Caribbean islands, Florida and the U.S. Gulf Coast. So far this year, five substantial storms have battered through the region, causing at least hundreds of deaths and untold millions of dollars in property damage.

But if there is nation that has suffered more than any other in this weather maelstrom, Haiti would probably be at the top of the list.

An incredibly poor country by any measure, Haiti has the unwelcome distinction of the highest rate of child mortality for children age five and under in the western hemisphere. It is also home to a form of modern-day slavery in which children, called “Restaveks,” are turned over (and in some cases sold) by their parents to middle-class households where they become, in effect, manual laborers and indentured servants. Human rights activists claim that many of these youngsters are routinely beaten, sexually abused, and denied even the most basic education.

Their plight is only made more appalling in the wake of hurricanes, which damage and destroy meager homes and thrust survivors into a desperate battle to find food and shelter. Unicef, the United Nations relief agency, estimates that as many as 300,000 children in Haiti, including the Restaveks, have been stranded without food and shelter as hurricanes battered the tiny country.

One person who is determined to draw the world’s attention to the plight of Restavek children is Jean-Robert Cadet, once a Restavek himself. Now living in Cincinnati, Cadet has created a foundation to advocate on behalf of Haitian children — efforts that have generated an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show and honor as an Everyday Freedom Hero.

If you are interested in helping the children of Haiti, log on to Cadet’s website and find out what you can do.