Elevate Haitian Women from "Poorest of Poor"
Chemen Lavi Miyo, (CLM) or the Road to a Better Life, reaches out to the poorest of the poor in Haiti. This program prepares women who are not yet ready to enter microcredit. Your donation will provide training, one-on-one supervision and encouragement, confidence building and other services like health care and home repair to one Haitian woman until she is ready to have her own functioning microenterprise and is eligible for a microloan. You can completely transform one woman's life by helping her enroll in this program.
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The Need
Haiti is said to be the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Approximately 78% of Haitians are poor (less than US$2 a day), and more than half (54%) live in extreme poverty (less than US$1 a day). In rural areas, poverty and extreme poverty rates are higher and estimated to be 84% and 69% respectively. Moreover, over two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs so microenterprising are extremely important in the country. Unfortunately, with the number of people living in extreme poverty, there are many women and families in Haiti who are not prepared to enter a microfinance program. Fonkoze's Stairway out of Poverty Program targets women living in extreme poverty and enters them into an 18-months program that gives them the tools they need to be able to become successful Fonkoze members and to be able to create and sustain an income for their families to lift them out of poverty.
About Fonkoze
Partner since March, 2010
Fonkoze is “Haiti’s Alternative Bank for the Organized Poor.” It is the largest microfinance institution (MFI) in Haiti, serving more than 45,000 women borrowers, most of who live and work in the countryside of Haiti, and more than 190,000 savers. Fonkoze is one of the few institutions reaching isolated rural communities through its 42 branches and dedicated credit, education, remittance, and health staff. With over 95% Haitian staff and a highly-skilled, Haitian-majority management team, Fonkoze is building the foundations for democracy and sustainable development in the country.
Following the devastating earthquake on January 12 2010, Fonkoze is providing some of the most needed services in Haiti, including remittance services and deposit accounts. With major international and Haitian partners, Fonkoze is developing new ideas to help Haitians recover and rebuild their lives.