Siiri Morley
Executive Director, Prosperity Catalyst
I am back in Haiti this week checking in with our program and spending time ironing out some logistics to improve our program in 2014. It has been an incredible blessing to be able to spend time with our Operations Manager, DeeDee, and the 12 apprentice entrepreneurs in person. Reading reports or hearing stories from our team over Skype and email helps keep us in touch with the team, but the energy and spirit of Fanm Limye, our Haitian business, is best experienced in person – with all five senses.
The women we work with, who have all been identified by our partner AFASDA (an organization which supports women who are experiencing gender-based violence in their lives), have been at work for almost six months now since receiving the work-readiness training and candle-making training last spring and summer.
Yesterday, my first day at the workshop, the women energetically came to work and got down to business immediately. They started cleaning the dust off of all the surfaces and preparing the glass vessels for candle-making. Another group came in and began melting wax on the gas stove. They were all smiling and chatting enthusiastically as they do so. DeeDee tells me that they are incredibly open with each other – giving each other relationship advice, talking about domestic abuse, and troubles with their children. It is a safe space where they trust each other and can discuss both the frivolous and critical topics that they face each day.
Later in the work day, we sat down as a group so I could share more about Prosperity Catalyst’s work and hear more from them about what they think of our program and what their vision is for the future.
The apprentice entrepreneurs were eager to discuss their future vision. Practically in unison, they shouted out: “A business that we own together that is exploding all over Haiti and selling candles to 75% of the globe!”
They said one day that they would like to own it together as a group – perhaps as a cooperative – and expand the reach to other products and to support more women.
There have been weeks without wax when we’ve had trouble with our supply chain or times when the workshop was sweltering hot due to no electricity to run the fans. But the women have stuck with the work. We haven’t lost one member of the original team. When I asked why, they said because having a job is precious in Haiti and they know that they are building this together. If they don’t work, nothing will happen. They said that they learned in the work-readiness training program that they would need to work hard, be patient, and work towards the long-term goals.
One woman, Lisette, shared that 5 months ago she had trouble buying something as simple as a pair of sandals. Now she can plan her finances and invest in critical needs for her family.
The women wholeheartedly agreed that they are more respected by their husbands and the broader community because of the money that they are earning. They’ve been able to buy food in bulk, to make repairs to their homes or begin constructing new homes on property that they’ve owned, and have been paying their children’s school fees. They also have been able to invest in small luxuries for themselves – they get their nails done, have their hair styled and have purchased new clothing. They have also started a savings group amongst themselves where they all pitch in and save together – each month someone else gets a large amount of cash to invest in a need they have.
The women shared that they are experiencing less violence and discrimination in their lives because of their earnings. Their husbands now know that they are not as reliant on them, so they don’t take them for granted and now have more dialogue about their decisions as a family.
What was most rewarding for me personally was to hear that they are excited by the prospect of owning Fanm Limye and managing it as a group. They want to stick together as a team to grow the business and are eager to learn the skills that they need to do this in the next few years.
We’ve had a lot of logistical problems here in Haiti (wire transfers not going through, delays in our legal paperwork, and a shoestring budget which can make key activities challenging to implement), but I’m very proud about the fact that the most important part of our model – the women we work with and our management team – is taking off. The mentality of the group at Fanm Limye is the most critical success factor for us. I’m delighted that this part is working.
Will you join us in supporting our work as we grow in 2014?