Program CHACHE LAVI, Previously Socio-Economic Reinsertion program
For The Women of Lamardelle, HAITI
PROGRAM ONGOING
This program started during the year of 2005 and focused on women of fragile conditions living with less than one US dollar per day and that are unable to feed their children who were admitted to the foundation school program.
The reinsertion program started in Lamardelle in the year 2007 On September and October of this year; participants were identified, interviewed, selected and trained before admitting to the program.
Before outlaying funds for the beneficiaries, they are required to attend training sessions on the following themes:
a. Family planning
b. Hygiene and nutrition
c. Civic rights and moral
d. Women rights
e. Basic notions on micro-enterprise.
Each beneficiary admitted to the program must provide, a social history, with relevant information of each recipient. Continuous update on their individual progress is maintained in the archives of the Foundation.
The desired outcome of each course and its contribution to the family life of each beneficiary was identified in periodical bi-weekly group session led by each group mentor ;( group are made of 8 beneficial and one mentor (which we call Marraines) selected from previous graduated beneficial.
Family Planning
Family planning has been taught to women to help them better manage and avoid all unwanted pregnancies They reported during the meetings of the support group how much they have benefited from the knowledge acquired and how best to protect them themselves from un wanted pregnancy and infectious diseases. During this program, they also receive appropriate advice about safe sex and how to avoid sexual transmitted diseases
Hygiene and Nutrition
The training they have received in hygiene and nutrition has allowed them to be better equipped to manage their homes and be able to manage a healthy balance to the family. The testimonies of women who applied the instructions received have allowed many to prevent malnutrition in their young children and themselves. In addition, they are learning the importance of clean water in food preparation. Moreover, the importance of clean drinking water.
Civic and Moral, Women Rights
The key issues addressed in this training are the role of the family, parenting their children and, the rights of the children. Furthermore the training on civic and moral rights of women has empowered the beneficiaries. This knowledge has allow many to be more responsive toward themselves and families. As a result many are taking more leadership roles in the development of their community.
In this training the trainer’s places great importance on the concepts of women’s rights in the Haitian legislation. All beneficial were not aware of their rights in the Haitian legislation prior to the training. Emphasis was also placed on physical abuse and what that means. How ones right are violated when abuse is involved. All participants had many questions and shared concerns after understanding the concept of abuse. A majority of the women shared personal accounts of their experience with abuses.
Information and options to help identify, avoid and protect their rights is also discussed. Steps to be taken if/when their rights are violated were highly marked as a key point of interest for all participants. This area often required multiple interventions from the Foundation and other disciplinary teams. It was very evident of the importance the participants gave to these issues in their lives.
Micro Enterprise
The training the women received on micro-enterprising has enabled them to receive practical advice how to manage their small business and how to work toward long term sustainability. The training focused on practical applications of assuring continuity of their business and self empowerment.
Outlaying funds for beneficiaries consist in buying for them merchandises to resell. Women will use the profit gained to provide food for the children and for saving.
Milestones of program:
1- After training and interview for social history, twenty (20) women had received merchandises according to program criteria.(Sep 2009-Nov 2009)
2- A silent period was observed because of the earthquake on January 12, 2010. Program restarted in March, and in April, twenty-eight (28) women had received merchandises
3- In May, a total of sixty-seven (67) women had been admitted and had received merchandises, included five godmothers, called
After each support group session, the godmother sends a report to the Project Manager concerning participants’ progress and ongoing needs. For example, one report summarized concerns participants had about their poor housing conditions.
Since, the program continues in guiding families, especially mothers to find and use sustainable businesses in order to provide: health care, nutrition and education.
Since July to December 2010, forty-nine participants had received merchandises.
In total, till program starting in Lamardelle to now, we have one hundred sixty-two women with grants in hands.wow!
Why not one hundred sixty-four?
Two of those women are died for lack of medical care, one of them right after childbirth.
Every day, we face with new challenge. Now, cholera is on the first page and continues making victims in the area.
On August 1, 2010 we inaugurated a Clean Water School Project financed by Medical Wings and Haiti Pure Water for the World to provide (concrete biosand filters) clean water, training, and proper hygiene education to one school and 200 homes in the Lamardelle, Haiti.
According to this project, we have now two biosand filters, not enough to provide clean water, daily, for 520 children at the school.
One at the crèche, one at the disable women camp, and seventeen distributed in the community, not enough to serve the area in clean water.
A recent report shows a decrease in activities of some women, for they used a part of their saving to care family members reached cholera, for example.
The businesses of other women continue growing, and they would like to have more merchandises and gain more profit.
Program continues keeping opened doors to each one who wants to contribute and help women to achieve positive and sustainable change in her lives and her families too.