Haiti Projects is poised to expand its sewing and embroidery cooperative and it needs your help to raise $67,000. Here is a short piece that explains why we need to invest in Women and young girls in Haiti.
Black skin and deep brown eyes. An earthquake in Haiti has touched her. She lives in a tent that is constructed of tarps, sheets and whatever she can find to cover her living space. Each tent pressed up against the next. A rug on the floor and two single beds side by side, a walking space between.
Jeanette lives with her cousin, Mariana. Two women, thin, but not unhealthy, are smiling.
As I talk with Jeanette, Marianna prepares to bathe herself. She takes her clothes off, but I see nothing but a shin, a thigh, and the strength of her forearms. She shields herself with a clean yellow towel. How soft and bright the yellow is against her black skin. She holds a single bucket filled with clean water and a bar of soap. She steps just outside the tent. She washes, still wrapped in yellow, water splashing, cleansing. Three men sit just outside of the tent. They turn their backs to Marianna out of respect? Out of concern? Or, are they really watching and waiting? She has a moment of solitude, but not really. I see the beauty and strength of the woman washing next to the ugliness of the tent and the mud on the ground. I want to believe that this woman can command respect and privacy where there is none, and she can someday teach her daughter to do the same.
Fast forward three years later and Marianna’s image is still pressed into my heart and my mind. I meet a young girl at Haiti Project's community library (image above). The young girl watches me, as if waiting for me to find an answer. Jeanette and Mariana come to mind, and I am determined to find a way for women and this young girl to command respect. I rededicate myself to be part of initiatives that help women and young girls become self-sufficient, so that they may lift themselves out of poverty and walk with dignity.
I believe that we can help Haiti move forward, we can make a difference in this hemisphere, but we must invest in women. If Marianna can find a way to wash with dignity, in the midst of living in a post-earthquake tent, shouldn’t we, given our resources and know how, be able to create jobs that allow women to pay for food for her table, schooling for her children, and the vaccinations that will protect her and her children?
Why Invest funds in Haiti Projects, Inc?
The problems in rural Haiti abound, but so do sustainable solutions.
Haiti Projects Inc. needs $66,257 to expand its sewing cooperative operations. Here is what Haiti Projects currently does:
- Educates Children (200 kids through its community Library)
- Empowers Women and employes 90 women and men
- Provides access to Women's health services (4000 patients each year)
Here is what Haiti Projects will do:
Haiti Projects will expand its facilities, hire at least 23 more workers. As part of its expansion, Haiti Projects needs:
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$12,507: Develop workforce training programs to address production and efficiency;
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$20,750: Partner with local sources of raw materials;
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$33,000: Expand the sewing facility in Fond des Blancs, adding new sewing machines, workers, administering a financial literacy program, and expanding a micro finance program.
Here is the Match!
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has decided to invest in Haiti Projects and Women. Kellogg will match $1 for every $2 raised up to $150,000. That means that every dollar you contribute gets multiplied and helps us reach our goal much faster. Kellogg knows that women will take care of children, their husbands, and their communities. You have the power to make your dollar go further!
Other Ways You Can Help
Look, we understand, not everyone has cash these days, and we know that doing good doesn't have to cost a thing. There are ways that you can join in offering women new paths to work, dignity and respect. Here's how you can help and get involved:
1. Tell friends and family about this amazing opportunity to put women to work in rural Haiti.
2. Tweet about our goal to raise $66,257
3. Buy our products to support the women of Fond des Blancs at haitiprojects.org
4. Become a corporate partner with Haiti Projects and let us help you help your business grow with the power of social change.
Join hands with us to empower a women, raise a family and lift a village!