Revenue Creation for Women in Rural Haiti

Meeting Gerta at OFAMMA was one of the best visit I had in the field in March, five motnhs after devastating Hurricane Mathew hit the South of Haiti.

I travel South moving slowly from Port Au Prince to the national route through Carrefour, leogane and entering the coastal way flanked by the amazing turquoise of the sea on the left and the land of ravines, crevaces and returning coverage of greenery. 

I was going through a dirt road as we completed the crossing of the river.  There was not much water but with the road completely washed away we had to cross and climb on the border to reach the other side.  The garden of beans spread till the eyes could not see.  Farmers at the edge of the river with irrigation canal has had a first harvest of beans and has now planted, waiting for another harvest in two months.  Our ground monitor Antoinier said we are near OFAMMA, Organization for women m,,,,,,,,,, let us say hello to Gerta.  Well it was very overcast with probable rain for the rest of the day.  So we pulled over and stepped into the fencing area protected with thorny candelabra.  We called her name, no answer.  So we walk behind the house into the field and there she was and a bit further, her mom.  Just the two of them tilling and clearing weeds from a field of beans.  Further away a third women. 
We were so glad to see her and apologize for the unexpected visit.  She did not mind and we started talking about the post Mathew.  Although she had lost the roof of her home, she was able to recover a room to safekeep her family.

I asked her how she was doing since she lost the last harvest.  She received a small credit of 7,000HDG from OFAMMA and because the region practically lost everything, she traveledl north and purchase some basic goods that she was able to sell making a small profit that help her cover a room and the rest with Tarp so she can survive. OFAMMA was the recepient of a loan fund from the Lambi Fund of Haiti.

While waiting for the rain to plant the seeds she purchased, it has been three months.  The microcredit kept her and her family providing for her basic needs.  In addition, she was able to provide a valuable service selling basic necesities to those who are unable to travel far to buy needed goods.

On that day I met a woman, a farmer, an artisan and a retailer who, with her mother and daughter, three generation living off the farm and survived the hurricane hardship because a loan was made available to them at 2% interest and as they repaid it the principal and interest will be available for other women, members of OFAMMA.

You made it possible and the gift you give will keep on giving to other women so they can be responsable for their families.  Thank you so much for supporting the revenue generating project for women in rural Haiti.  You have helped make a difference.

Links:

• http://www.lambifund.org

October was part of the rainy season and storms, but we did not anticipate a storm of the magnitude of "hurricane Mathew" the worst in 35 years, to Hit Haiti,  still struggling to recover from the earthquake of 2010.  For some the outcome was worst than the devastation that killed 250,000 people in 2010.  The south of Haiti was devastated and more than 1.5 million became homeless overnight. Farmers, merchants and residents lost all their inventories, harvest and the infrastructures of the homes destroyed, in particular the roofs in an overwhelming majority blown away. .

For many women help came in the form of a micro loan at 2% interest through their membership organizations.  The Lambi fund was able to help 27 organization with a membership of over 10,000 people start anew.  Among them 1599 farmers are replanting their field to produce food for the next harvest, curtailing food insecurity in the region.

Among our most successful are women who not only restarted their own enterprises, but are also rendering a much-needed service by bringing in goods that are no longer accessible in the area.

During this period Lambi Fund reinforced 4 credit funds  OFARIB and AFESKA in the Artibonite Region that provides loans to members for retail businesses at a 2% degree interest and two projects in the South KOFEKA and OFAMMA that gives their loans at a fixed 2%.  In the chart below it shows that the allocation depends on the numbers of beneficiaries varies from 300,000.00 HDG and 625,000.00 HDG. From the initial fund has grown 20% from 1,925,000.00 HDG received from Lambi Fund to 2,386,000.00 HDG. A total of 470 members received loans as indicated and are now producing revenues and work activities that can move them from the level of poverty.

Summary of Credit for Alternative Economic Projects

Organizations     Amount in HDG */     Number of recepient / Loan amount per person   current value  HDG                                                                                                 

KOFEKA              625,000                                 166                       HDG 5,000                        869,200

OFAMMA              300,000                                   36                             10,000                         320,500  

OFARIB                 500,000                                  237                             10,000                         719,500

AFESKA               500,000                                  124                             10,000                         624,560

Total           HDG 1,925,000                                 563                                                             2,534,060

These organizations and their membership also received training on the specifics of loan management as well as support to build the managerial capacity of the organization.

Your contribution is helping to build sustainable revenue for those women involved in community building and creating revenue to take care of their families.  We thank you for your contribution and continued support.

*Currency:  HDG Haitian Gourde (65 HDG to 1USD)

Links:

• website