Haiti

Haiti Earthquake

A Catastrophic Series of Events

Since the earthquake, awareness of the plight of Haiti has thankfully risen. Here's how Port-Au-Prince resident Samuel Sanon describes 2010:

"It has been a very difficult one for us here in Haiti. We started with an earthquake and moved to a tornado, a hurricane, and cholera epidemics and finally ended the year with an electoral process marked with fraud and violence."

Samuel lost his computer business through the earthquake, but an Entrust donation of 50 laptops will provide him with valuable assets to lease to schools and businesses, and reinvigorate the computer repair aspect of his business.

Hunger and Hopelessness

Haitian child during earthquake Even before the earthquake struck, "total societal dysfunction" would have described Haiti well. Every aspect of society is broken, with 80% nationwide unemployment summing up the state of affairs. The lack of work breaks the self-worth of Haiti's men and makes even simple dreams unattainable. What we take for granted is unattainable for most Haitians - like finishing high school before the age of 30 or going to college or trade school... like finding buyers to fuel their businesses... like having a guaranteed supply of food for multiple consecutive days... like eating more than one meal per day. At our pancake breakfast, Evan naively asked Eddie: "What do Haitians usually eat for breakfast?" "We don't", he replied flatly, rebukingly. His normally gleeful face was somber: "We are lucky to eat one meal a day and we don't eat at specific times. We eat whenever we find food to eat, whether its morning or midnight. There have been several days when I've not eaten anything."

Haiti Cane and Mountain Fishing boat

Dreams

The kind that seem more distant than eternity. Mike wants to buy a fishing boat. Isaiah wants to publish his audio book about learning Creole. LaSalle just wants a water source closer than a 30 minute walk. Homes that will withstand the next storm would be nice. And enough rice to fill bloating bellies and restore color to orange hair. And most of all, hope - just enough to bring an occasional adult smile.

Poverty Destroys Families

Poverty's assault on the family is devastating and unrelenting. Young men like Gracia and Isaiah long to marry their sweethearts, but are waiting for years as they struggle to establish a steady income to provide a home. Only then will it be culturally acceptable to marry. Then there are those such as Sonny, Joseph and Elam whose wives have left them when unable to provide. Kids are sent to relatives who can feed them. Elam has no means to fix his mother's leaky roof. Junior has no means to replace his mother's mud floored hut with a concrete house (pictured here with her). Joseph cannot provide medical care for his four year old son who cannot hear or speak. If he had had funds and access to the right specialists, his condition - perhaps starting with a simple ear infection - might have been entirely curable. "This is my big problem" he repeatedly mourns. And I see why when I meet a four year old who is as sedate and withdrawn as his peers are exuberant and engaging. Entrust endeavors to generate meaningful jobs to enable Haitians to meet needs such as these while utilizing their ingenuity, resourcefulness, and indomitable faith.

Pilot Project Development

Haiti Map Entrust board members will make a site visit to explore relationships and possibilities with Partners Worldwide contacts in Leogane and Port-Au-Prince. Potential partner groups include Leogane's Society of Entrepreneurs and a Port-Au-Prince business incubator sponsored by Haiti Partners for Christian Development. The incubator has dozens of workshops under one roof where entrepreneurs are developing their businesses while a secured location and utilities are provided at reduced cost. This site visit will solidify plans to launch Entrust's first Venture to Haiti in Winter of 2011-12.

Haiti Businesses

The following mentoring guides were prepared following the November 2011 visit by Dale Vernezze & Evan Keller, and include information, observations, questions, and recommendations for mentors and mentee businesses. These documents are in Microsoft Word (.docx) format.

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