Tag Archives: pilot program

News round-up: Siiri in Haiti, Brandeis Magazine and iThinkRadio/WEZE interviews

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Siiri with DeeDee, our new Operations Manager in Haiti

This week has been interesting for all of us at Prosperity Catalyst. Currently, Siiri is in Haiti working on the pilot launch where she is recruiting participants for our first pilot and welcoming aboard DeeDee, our Haiti based Operations Manager. We will be hearing more from Siiri about the Haiti trip.

Photos from the recent Haiti trip have been posted on our facebook page.

Media Round-Up:

Through our partnership with Prosperity Candle, we envision creating a lasting change for women in Haiti and beyond. Through training in candle-making, work-readiness, entrepreneurship and business management, our business model aims to, not just help women make a living, but encourage and empower women to start their own businesses and provide much-needed access to markets.

Brandeis Magazine: We are glad that so far the responses we have received from the community has been positive and encouraging. Siiri was recently featured in Brandeis University’s Spring 2013 issue of the Brandeis Magazine. In this article, she talks about her work with women and the importance of a business model focusing exclusively on women.

” Women entrepreneurs invest in their family’s lives, as well as in growing their business, says Morley. As a result, their children gain greater access to education, get better nourishment, and have a chance at a healthier and more prosperous future. And gender-based violence declines when women have economic opportunity, she adds. “

Siiri at IThink Radio/WEZE studio

iThink Radio: Siiri was also interviewed by iThink Radio/WEZE’s host Laurie Giles on 16 March, 2013. In the interview, Siiri and Laurie discuss Prosperity Candle and Prosperity Catalyst’s business models. They talk about empowering and mentoring women, and the vision of the two organizations. We were recently sent the interview stream, and you can listen to it here.

iThink Radio is produced by Eastern Nazarene College and the live streaming takes place every Saturday morning at 10 am.

Partner Spotlight: AFASDA working with women and girls in Haiti

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As our pilot program begins this month, the Prosperity Catalyst team would like to your draw attention to our amazing partners in Haiti. We have been thinking of providing a partner spotlight on a weekly basis and this week we present to you, AFASDA!

AFASDA, Association Femmes Soleil d’ Haiti, was founded in 1997 with the mission of helping women take action for a more equitable society through active participation on women’s rights, health and environment. AFASDA is a Haitian women’s association and its programs address gender-based violence by providing women the must needed psycho-social support, shelter, security, health support, and capacity building training.

Siiri Morley with Elvire Eugene from AFASDA,

Prosperity Catalyst’s pilot program targets women in need of economic opportunity and our target population is comprised of women escaping gender-based violence, teenage girls school drop-outs and local women between 20-50 years old. Our partnership with AFASDA is crucial in the success of our upcoming program in Haiti, as the pool of initial applicants will be sourced from the membership bases of our women association partners, one of them being AFASDA.

Recently, we came across this youtube video created by V-Day about AFASDA and we wanted to share it with our supporters. V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and co-founded by Eve Ensler, has been supporting AFASDA’s safe houses in different parts of the country. In the video, you will meet Elvire Eugene, the coordinator for AFASDA. We have been working closely with Elvire and she is an amazing and inspiring woman. A great role-model for the women in Haiti!

Watch the video below to find out more about AFASDA’s amazing work in Haiti.

President Bill Clinton and Heifer President and CEO Pierre Ferrari at the farm where Prosperity Catalyst’s pilot will take place next month!

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We are super excited to announce that the site of our Haitian pilot program is on the farm that President Bill Clinton recently visited. President Clinton and Heifer International President and CEO Pierre Ferrari were given a tour of the farm by Andy English of North Coast.

Our Haitian pilot would not have been possible without the help of our partners North Coast Development Corporation and Heifer International in sourcing local beeswax to support rural Haitian farmers. In this video you will see Andy English and Ann Piper, the lady with the short brown hair, who work for North Coast and are our allies. Andy and Ann have been instrumental in making our work possible in Haiti. So thank you so much from the Prosperity Catalyst team!

For a tour of the farm, watch the video below.

What does our work actually look like in Haiti?

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We tend to talk a lot about the abstract sides of our pilot program in Haiti - women’s entrepreneurship, reaching global markets, giving women agency over their lives, creating an ecosystem of support for women in the country, etc, etc. But what does our actual work look like?

While I’m here in Haiti, I thought I should include some more photos to make it all come to life a bit more.

Here’s the building on the Terrier Rouge farm where the candle-making will happen:

And here are the beehives where our wax is sourced:

Here are some of the first beeswax candles coming out of their molds:

One of our first candle-makers, Landy, spending time with our translator, Johanne:

And these are their bicycles that bring them to and from work:

Regine, our Interim Country Director, working in the pilot project building:

We are so honored to have you joining us for our candle entrepreneurship journey here in Haiti. Stay tuned for more!