Eco-Friendly Girl-owned Microenterprises in Haiti

Dear Friend of Hagn Girls,

It is with great joy and excitement that I am sharing news on our Eco-Friendly Girl-Owned Micro-Enterprises in Haiti project.

Meet Schnadine, a 20-year old girl participant.  Schnadine has been living with her mother and brother in the community of Solino for several years.  Ever since the death of her father, many years ago, her mother has been struggling to put her brother and her to school by working afternoons and nights as a cooked food street vendor.  In the poor community of Solino, girls and youth face many challenges daily that come with living in a resource-scarce environment, like early pregnancy and marriage.  However, thanks to the safe space group network she’s been participating in and the support of her mother, Schnadine has navigated life roadblocks safely.  However, many challenges remain to be overcome by Schnadine in order to make the best of the high school education she’s received and be fully empowered.

Over the next two months and starting December 15, thanks to your support, Schnadine and fifteen other adolescent girls from the Solino community will be receiving training to help them become young micro-entrepreneurs.  The training program includes various modules, including personal development, entrepreneurship, cooking and baking, and the use of eco-friendly cooking equipment.  The personal development module will help participants prepare for the employment sector by teaching them how to write a resume and a motivation letter and prepare for a job interview.  A four-day entrepreneurship module will help them learn the skills necessary to prepare a basic business plan, calculate costs and keep records efficiently, among other things.

The cooking and baking module will take place over an entire month, during which, Monday through Saturday, the participants will learn cooking and baking skills. As part of the training program, solar cook stoves whose shipment is already on its way, will be integrated, following training on their use, in the girls’ practice group. The training will take place on a compound located near the Solino community, using a mobile kitchen to facilitate access for the girls. 

Under successful completion of the cooking and baking training, the participants will receive a certificate approved by the National Institute of Vocational Training of the Board Education.  The graduation of this first promotion of adolescent and youth entrepreneurs is scheduled for early February.

As I continue to share with you on how our girls are faring on this exciting journey to economic empowerment, I would like once again to thank you for helping make a difference.

With our deepest gratitude,

Myriam