Help Haitian Families Rise From Poverty to Dignity

Thank You For Your Generosity and Solidarity

I am so grateful for your kind, thoughtful, and generous gift to Beyond Borders Family Graduation Program on Lagonav Island in Haiti. Thank you!

The work that you are making possible -- equipping families with the skills they need to earn a dignified living, getting all their children enrolled in school, ensuring that they have clean drinking water and enough food to eat, training them to form community savings and loans and start a small savings account, and repairing or rebuilding their home -- continues despite the political crisis gripping Haiti.

By now you've probably heard that weeks of protests in Port-au-Prince and other cities have disrupted life in much of the rest of the country.

The crisis was provoked by widespread anger over a president accused of corruption, a shortage of fuel, the sharp drop in the value of Haiti’s currency, and skyrocketing inflation.

Many of those protesting have done so peacefully, although violence has been reported on the part of some protestors and police too. It is a tense and complex situation, with opposition leaders and many ordinary people calling for the resignation of the president.

Work on Lagonav Island Continues - Thanks to You 

Despite the disruptions to life on the mainland, work with all 110 families in our Family Graduation Program on Lagonav Island is progressing.

I can share that as of the start of this month, 77% of families now have all of their children ages 6-17 enrolled in school and 98% of families have a savings account or are members of their community savings and loan.

These are the kinds of transformations that will change their lives forever -- and that are only possible because of your generosity.

Carrie’s Story

Here in her own words, Carrie*, a participant in Beyond Borders Family Graduation Program, shares how it has changed her life.

“In 2006, my husband went to prison. At that point, I was wandering the streets trying to earn money to take care of my children. It was a difficult life. People in the community humiliated me because I didn’t have the means to take care of myself and my family. I didn’t own any livestock to help me seek a living to care for my children.

I used to have a donkey, but the donkey kept miscarrying with every pregnancy. There was a time it got so bad, I couldn’t buy clothing for my children or even sandals. They walked barefoot. 

At one point I sold produce on foot, carrying avocados or oranges on my head. I would even go so far as [the port town] Ansagalè to sell them if it meant I could feed my children.

One day, a man came to my house and asked me for information about how I am living in the community. He continued to visit me until, one day, I was invited to a six-day training, where I learned about how to raise goats, pigs, and donkeys, and how to manage a small business, open a savings account, and plant a backyard garden.

I asked myself, are these people playing a joke on me? I didn’t think I was the kind of person to be chosen to participate in a project like this.

I chose two goats and one donkey… ever since I’ve applied myself to working with my donkey to raise money to change my family’s life. I started making progress. One of my goats had a kid, so now I have three goats.

I named my donkey ‘What I’ve been through.’ The donkey carries my produce to the market so I can sell and use the profits to cover school entry fees and other costs like backpacks, uniforms, underwear, lunch boxes."

~ Carrie, 44, mother of 11 children and a participant in the Family Graduation Program

Carrie, whose husband has since returned home, now has 5,000 HTG in savings (about $51 USD), three goats, and one donkey, and she has started building her own home with financial and technical support from the Family Graduation Program. She’s also started to build relationships with others in her community community.

*We've changed her name to protect her privacy.

You’ve Made So Much Good Possible

Thank you again for all that you are making possible for people like Carrie with your care, your concern, and your generosity. Here’s some of what we’ve accomplished thanks to you:

• 220 goats, 18 pigs, 45 donkeys, and start-up funds for six small businesses distributed
• All of the 110 participating families have received at least one of two productive assets (animals or the goods to start a small business) and 69 participants received two productive assets each
• 103 families trained on animal husbandry
• 100 people trained on how to start a Village Savings & Loan Association (VSLA)
• 3 VSLAs have been created
• 24 weeks of small cash stipends have been distributed to help families avoid selling off their productive assets
• 40 families have received materials to rebuild or repair their houses

Thank You Again

Your solidarity with families means more than we can say. And your generosity means that they'll have the skills and the means to provide for themselves long after they graduate from the 18-month program. We are grateful for your generosity, your care, and your concern. If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please feel free to contact Brian Stevens, Beyond Borders’ Donor Engagement Director, at b.stevens@beyondborders.net or at (305) 450-2561.

Links:

• Learn more about our upcoming fourth cohort of 110 families.
• Charity Navigator once again awarded us a 4-Star rating.
• Follow us on Facebook for the latest from Haiti.