Posted by: Leah Nedderman
Leah Nedderman is a microfinance consultant based in Washington, DC and former Director of Social Performance Management for Fonkoze. She can be reached at Lnedderm@gmail.com.
As a former Fonkoze employee and resident of Port-au-Prince, I have a sense for the catastrophe that has occurred, and the challenges that lie ahead for Fonkoze and other institutions who serve the poor of Haiti.
This afternoon, I spoke with Fonkoze employee Natalie Domond, where she called from a friend’s home in Port-au-Prince. She and the other Fonkoze staff safely exited the central office in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. Outside, dust and screams filled the air. She recounted gruesome scenes at every turn.
Institutions like Fonkoze, who exist to provide services to the poor, will require support now more than ever. Just fifteen months ago, Haiti was hit by several powerful tropical storms and a hurricane. Fonkoze responded by mobilizing leaders in forty communities throughout the country to assess the damage, account for members, and generate information for relief agencies. Almost immediately, Fonkoze was able to offer new financial products to affected families so that they could get their micro-businesses up and running again, re-stock their goods, and begin recovering their livelihoods. I am confident their response to the current crisis will be just as resolute.
The name Fonkoze stands for “Shoulder to Shoulder Foundation” in Haitian Creole. It reflects the commitment of the institution and its staff to standing in solidarity with the Haitian poor. This commitment comes from loan officers who work with rural women to establish small businesses in a despondent economy, in the dogged determination of literacy trainers who travel sweaty miles to hold classes for illiterate members, and in the steely resolve of the members who toil year after year to provide food and schooling for their children.
Today, Natalie remarked that this incredible event is a defining moment for the international community. She believes that with assistance, Fonkoze will recover, and will be a leader in the recuperation of the country.
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You can help Fonkoze by making a donation to the Fonkoze USA “Earthquake Relief and Rehabilitation Fund” today. To follow Fonkoze earthquake news and updates click here.
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