Bois De Lance,
Haiti
Community
Meet the COMMUNITIES - Haiti
From the sandbox to the school to the workplace
Impact
Our partnership with Open Door is helping to employ both men and women in Haiti. Next the need for employment with dignity is a great need for education in Haiti. A chronic issue for the region, is that of continued education beyond grade 6 for children, vocational training for adults, and employment opportunities for people once they finish school.
Open Door will be embarking on a very exciting project that meets the needs of adults and children. They will be developing an educational center that will:
- Provide adult vocational training in computer skills and English
- Additional areas of study include: wood carving, sewing, adult literacy, and other subjects
- Provide funding to develop grade 7,8 and 9 schooling
Through this game, jobs will be created, people will be trained in critically needed skills, and education will be provided to more children. Each purchase of Ti Ta To 10 ensures more than an economy and jobs, it ensures sustainable development for an entire community.
"Training is critically needed in Haiti, it is very difficult to find electricians, people with agricultural qualifications, and other skilled trades when this work is required. By helping people develop these skills we contribute to their lives and to the community."
Fritz Joseph Mayor, Cap-Haitien, Haiti
Men and women finding employment
Project
With the unemployment rate of over 80% a critical need is the growth of the local economy and the creation of steady jobs for the people of Haiti.
ZOË Alliance is excited to be working with the new small business established by Open Door in the production of Ti Ta To 10. This entertaining and exquisitely hand carved game is made by local artisans and finished by local women.
This project currently employs artisans as carvers, and men and women in finishing the game, game pieces and sewing the bags for the game pieces. Employment is being created in the city of Cap Hatien and in the surrounding villages. Our goal is to increase the number of people employed as we all enjoy playing the game here at home.
Your purchase of Ti Ta To 10 will:
- Help create local jobs, impacting whole families and the community
- 10% of the proceeds will fund the development of a vocational training school
- Address the most critical need in Haiti – creating a way for Haitians to build their own lives with dignity
Strong vision...strong leadership
People
ZOË Alliance is excited to be working with Open Door Haiti.
Open Door was founded by Wiljean Compere in 1989. Open Door Haiti exists to develop young leaders in Haiti who can transform their communities with educational, economic, physical, spiritual, social and political vitality creating a sustainable movement of cultural transformation that brings Hope to the nation.
Focusing on the youth Open Door has built into the northern Haitian communities of Cap Hatien, Bois de Lance, and Hinche.
In the past years a small school, feeding centre and medical clinic have been put in place to meet the needs of the community.
In 2007 Brian Stout became the US Director of Open Door. In his role, he has been working alongside the people in northern Haiti to send resources and to equip the local leaders as they serve their community.
The local team is growing with a vision for an adult vocational training center in Cap Hatien. This center will provide critically needed training enabling people to develop the skills needed to secure employment. The funds generated by this center will also create a sustainable funding stream for continued community investment in schools, clinics, and orphanages.
The poorest country in the western hemisphere
History
Lying approximately 560 miles to the southeast of Florida, Haiti is a nation of over eight million people. Once rich in sugar, tobacco, coffee, indigo, and cocoa, Haiti is now the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with over 80% unemployment.
The majority of the population lives on under $1 per day, and only 25% have access to clean drinking water.
Critical to understanding the challenges the people of Haiti face is acquiring knowledge of the history. The indigenous population was completely wiped out shortly after the arrival of European settlers. African slaves were forced to work the French plantations.
Having achieved independence over 200 years ago, Haiti has struggled with political instability. The presence of insufficient local and educated leadership coupled with the overpowering poverty and lack of financial resources has left the entire country struggling to build sustainable growth.
While much progress has been made, Haiti continues to be a place where much of the population despairs and where investment is required to support local leaders who are seeking to develop the people and infrastructure to breath hope back into the lives of Haitians.