A collaboration between SOC 119 and the people of Haiti focusing on the areas of Martissant and Cite Soleil in Port Au Prince. This is an initiative that focuses on supporting Haitians who are creating jobs for other Haitians. The work revolves around an organization called Haitian Partners for Christian Development, an organization that might more accurately called “Haitian Partners for the Creation of Jobs and Investment in the Long-term Sustenance of Haitian Entrepreneurs.” “It’s all about jobs,” says Ernso Jean Louis, the director of HPCD. “Haitians are amazing people with unlimited skills and the capacity for immense innovation. And many don’t need a lot; they just need small pushes and resources that they can’t get without outside assistance.”
So as much as we possibly can, the project steers clear of tradition forms of assistance and hand-outs, which often have the unintended consequence of undermining Haitian entrepreneurs and weakening the ability of Haitians to make it on their own. Read this excellent article with two examples of how this happens. It’s written by an American living in Haiti: “Better to Buy Local”
Here’s another excellent article from the journal, Foreign Policy, that lays out how local Haitian entrepreneurs can be undermined in Haiti. “A Tremor for Haiti’s Aid Industry”
Service Learning Project for Soc 119
Applying your power to address real socioeconomic development in Haiti
This semester we are partnering with two community leaders Cite Soleil, Haiti. Together, along with Poverty Resolutions micro-financing group, we will focus on two areas of development.
1) Entrepreneurship
- with Ernso Jean Louis, director of HPCD (see above)
- facilitate the business growth of Haitian entrepreneurs
2) Education
- with Pastor Richard Hiluer
- develop technical computer schools and grade school for over 320 students
*Watch video footage to meet the people and learn more about our current efforts in Haiti.
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HPCD business incubator program helps Haitians with a business idea to get started. Entrepreneurs take a 6 month course to learn about business plans, accounting, and leadership skills. Upon graduation and receiving certification they can move to the business incubator where young entrepreneurs start to produce and sell their products. The first year’s rent is free. Eventually they will move into their own shops and employ other Haitians.
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ENTREPRENEURS Cloren and Anaes Blaise are sisters who learned to sew from their mother. Now they use this skill to make handbags, school uniforms, baby clothes, and more. They are experts in their field and are trying to gain the resources to train others. They look forward to employing more people as their business needs grow.
*If you would like to learn more about specific entrepreneurs and his or her business needs, contact the Haiti team. Sociology119@gmail.com.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Here is the plot of land on September 2011
Here is the school on December 2011
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PASTOR RICHARD is a community leader in the sprawling, southern most region of Cite Soleil. This is a particularly poor and violent part of a poor and violent area of PAP. In fact, when we visit, Pastor Richard meets us out on the main road to ensure that we arrive safely.
This man is one of those special human beings who has earned the respect of EVERYONE in the community. A part of this is because he is from the community — born and raised. But it is also because he works tirelessly for people who are willing to work but have so few options available to them.
Land ready for professional/technical computer school
There are many projects that he has pursued over the years — from building community centers to organizing people to beautify their homes, clean the streets, and collectively establish goals and meet them. His most notable achievement has been to get the gang members to turn in their guns and seek a less violent path.
That is where he is asking for assistance. We told him that we’d look for at least TEN used laptops to get something started, but that we’d also find a way to help with other needs.
MICROFINANCING PART OF THE PROJECT
Poverty Resolutions is a non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of “one dollar-a-day poverty” in Haiti. Poverty Resolutions will aid the process if your group projects involve micro-financing, i.e, providing funds and other business development materials to the entrepreneurs with low interest rates. Keep in mind that microfinancing through Poverty Resolutions is not a requirement. Rather, it’s just another resource for your group project.
[...] Haiti Project [...]