In Time of Drought Women Key to Family Livelihood in
Haiti
23-year-old Erlene D'estines from Bombardopolis, Haiti is
completing her literacy training with CWS partner Christian Center for Integrated
Development (SKDE). Photo: Melina Pavlides/CWS
|
May 8, 2005
By
Melina Pavlides/CWS
Gros-Morne, Haiti
From
March 29 to April 9, CWS staff Martin Coria, Don Tatlock, and Melina Pavlides,
visited 13 communities in Haiti's Northwest and Artibonite Departments where CWS
Emergency Response and Social and Economic Development Programs are sharing resources
in a concerted effort to assist families following last September's Tropical Storm
Jeanne and to address ongoing issues of food security related to drought.
Daily
life in Haiti, a mostly agrarian society, consists of frequent trips to the market
for a majority of the country's eight million people. Last September, many lost
what little they had in the massive flood caused by Tropical Storm Jeanne that
killed some 3,000 persons. Now in a protracted season of drought, families rely
on profits from commercial trade to meet basic needs, because there is little
farming or harvesting. Women are central to this commercial sector.
Women,
especially in rural communities, often travel 10 - 15 miles or more on foot, by
mule, or by overcrowded bus in the hot sun with their merchandise in tow to reach
village markets where they sell, buy, or trade their goods for a small profit.
After hours spent in the market, they begin the long journey home to provide for
their families. The following day the process starts all over again. "The sheer
physical strength, ingenuity, and resilience of the women of this country is remarkable,"
says Peter Graeff, (CWS Program Assistant for Haiti from 1983-88), a 30-year veteran
of the country, and now an independent consultant for CWS.
CWS,
together with long-time partners Service Christian D'Haiti (SCH) and Christian
Center for Integrated Development (SKDE), is supporting economic activity of women
through 13 local community groups or cooperatives (co-ops) with micro-credit and
literacy programs in Haiti's Northwest Department. The micro-credit programs,
also managed by women, provide small loans that boost the economic capacity of
member families to meet immediate needs – food, school, medicine, and transportation,
while also expanding buying power in the markets. "Loans used for commercial buying
and selling helps supplement seasonal crop income," Graeff explains. "Harvests
are far between in the region, especially now because of the drought, so women
often travel five days a week to the city marketplace."
"The
women manage the micro-credit programs very well," says Martin Coria, CWS Associate
Director of the Social and Economic Development Program. "In many cases, the women
have already secured their own capital for the programs before receiving inputs
from outside sources like CWS and other funding partners. We hope with more input,
training, and support, these communities will increase their profit margins, build
on their capital, develop more advanced skills in income generation, and move
toward sustainability," says Coria. "It takes time and will require more advanced
training, but the groups we have met are eager to learn and are progressing very
well."
"For
us, the priorities are to send our children to school, provide food and medicine
for our families, and to add to the capital of the community bank," says Madam
La Vie Saint-Phillip, secretary of Fidelity Community Bank in Gros-Morne, which
has 250 members. "Even in the dry months, we are able to finance agricultural
and small manufacturing enterprises that sell rice, salt, sugar, beans, oil, flour,
kerosene, soap, and matches. One of our goals is to be more versatile. When something
becomes unprofitable, we want to be able to change or diversify our activities
to meet market demands."
 Women's
cooperative in Gros-Morne. Photo: Melina Pavlides/CWS
|
For
many of the women running the micro-credit programs, replenishing capital is an
overarching goal. "More money means more members and expanding to address needs
of more women and their families," adds Saint-Phillip. "We don't want to exclude
anyone. If we continue to replenish capital and build on it, we can become more
inclusive."
"Women
are ready and energized to do better in the buying and selling market," says Toussaint
Wilbert, project coordinator of SCH. The progress of the micro-credit programs
that facilitate their trading activities, however, cannot grow too fast or serve
borrowers superficially. Continued support in terms of accompaniment, training,
and management skills is vital."
CWS-assisted
literacy programs for women in the co-ops have produced remarkable results in
empowering and preparing women for increased growth and opportunity. "When they
go to the banks in Gonaives, they can read and understand business documents,"
says Norelia Eneteda, president of "Serious Business," a micro-credit group and
member of the literacy program in the Bravard community. "They are able to make
better decisions with greater confidence."
For
23-year-old Erlene D'estines, the literacy program has more symbolic meaning.
Once she completes the SKDE-sponsored literacy-training program, she will be certified
to train others -- something she is extremely proud of. "My independence is very
important to me," D'estines says. Although I want to have a family someday, my
education is most important and because this opportunity was given to me, I want
to share it with others. I remember when I was first able to read and write my
own name, I cried."
As
part of its multi-country sustainable food security program, which receives major
support from Foods Resource Bank, CWS will continue to assist women-run micro-credit
and literacy programs in Haiti's Northwest and Artibonite Departments through
2008.
Media Contacts:
Ann Walle, CWS/New York,
212-870-2654;
awalle@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin, CWS, 781-925-1526;
jdragin@gis.net
