Haiti is struggling for the terrible earthquake that hit the country in August. This disaster stressed the already difficult situation determined by the political instability and the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, Haiti ranks among the poorest country in the world.
With a project called “Support project to strengthen the post-Covid-19 resilience of vulnerable populations in the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets”, CADIS intervenes in the municipality of Croix-des-Bouquets of the West department and chief town of the same department located 12.4 kilometers from Port-au-Prince, the capital, specifically in the disadvantaged localities of Marin, Sibert, Moliere, Soleil 9, Lilavois, Canaan, and Jerusalem. The main economic activities of the municipality are focused on agriculture, livestock, and small informal trade.
The project will last three years and aims to prepare and increase the resilience of the vulnerable populations to mitigate the debilitating impact of human-made (political) and natural disasters by educating and informing on how the Covid-19 pandemic spreads and the risks and consequences of infection, and facilitating access to an efficient health system that can adapt quickly in times of severe health crisis.
The Project addresses the significant challenges of the Haitians, specifically in the access to information, healthcare, and economic autonomy. A training center for sewing, cosmetology, cooking, and pastry making is set up at the Centre Hospitalier Foyer Saint Camille to help young people better face the post-Covid-19 period and be more resilient.
A total of 137 young people from the villages of Croix-des-Bouquets organized in two shifts are enrolled in the 24-week training sessions - sewing (43 students), cosmetology (44 students), and cooking and pastry making (50 students). At the end of the complete cycle of training, students are expected to practice their skills to help increase the family income. The project team comprises the program coordinator, two group facilitators, a social worker, a nurse, an accountant, and three training facilitators.
Another component of the program is the health awareness building sessions given to schools and colleges in the target area. The covered topics included drug substance abuse, its impact on health and behavior, psychosocial support and counseling, medical support, and prevention. A total of 1,187 young boys (544) and girls (643) attended the sessions given to 16 schools and colleges in the target area.
The learning method applied is by imitation and observation sharing experiences and promoting models that have already proven to be effective in microenterprise, urban agriculture, environmental protection, and personal and social safety prevention. The local systems are strengthened through the direct participation of all local decision-makers and leaders.
Inoformation reported by
Fr. Robert Daudier, MI
Project Director
