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Haitian Women Rising

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300+ young business women and guests gathered at the Retrouvailles Complex in Cap-Haitien, Ayiti for ACT's Haitian Women Rising on January 18, 2025.
300+ young business women and guests gathered at the Retrouvailles Complex in Cap-Haitien, Ayiti for ACT's Haitian Women Rising on January 18, 2025.

STRENGTHENING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN AYITI

Entrepreneurship is a powerful catalyst for economic growth and social transformation, particularly in communities striving to overcome systemic challenges. In Ayiti, where women play a central role in family and community life, empowering women entrepreneurs has the potential to unlock unprecedented opportunities for sustainable development. Recognizing this, Ayiti Community Trust (ACT), with the generous support of the Damian Braga Fund, hosted the Women’s Entrepreneurship Workshop at the Retrouvailles Complex in Cap-Haitien, Ayiti on January 18, 2025. 

This landmark event brought together 300 ambitious young Haitian women to equip them with the tools, connections, and inspiration needed to thrive as entrepreneurs. The workshop was a dynamic blend of practical training, inspirational leadership talks, and collaborative networking, aimed at empowering women to become economic drivers in their communities. Collaborating with esteemed partners like Fondasyon Felicitée, Sakapfet Okap, CLE-Haitian Sisterhood, and Atizan International, the event created an environment of learning, support, and innovation, fostering a collective vision for a brighter future in Ayiti. 

The workshop reinforced women's vital role in shaping Ayiti’s economic and social landscapes. By focusing on building skills, confidence, and community, this event marked a significant step toward unlocking the entrepreneurial potential of Haitian women and creating a ripple effect of progress and empowerment across the nation. 

SPEAKERS 

The workshop featured a distinguished lineup of speakers whose collective expertise, passion, and vision impacted the participants. These leaders shared personal stories, strategic insights, and actionable advice to inspire and equip the young women in attendance:

  • Dr. Solanges Vivens: A renowned figure in leadership and community development, Dr. Vivens captivated the audience with her journey of resilience and success. Her keynote address emphasized the transformative power of education, strategic thinking, and unwavering determination, urging participants to envision themselves as trailblazers in their respective fields. 
  • Mirlene Charles: A celebrated entrepreneur and advocate for women’s empowerment, Mirlene Charles brought practical insights into navigating challenges in the Haitian business landscape. Her talk highlighted the importance of resourcefulness, collaboration, and leveraging local assets, providing a blueprint for sustainable entrepreneurial success. 
  • Bayyinah Bello: A revered historian, educator, and advocate for cultural empowerment, Bayyinah Bello delivered a powerful address that connected entrepreneurship with Haiti’s rich history and traditions. She emphasized the importance of drawing on one’s cultural identity and values to create businesses that are not only profitable but also deeply rooted in community and purpose. Her perspective resonated deeply, inspiring participants to embrace their heritage as a source of strength and innovation. 

This dynamic trio of speakers reinforced the workshop’s central themes of resilience, collaboration, and cultural pride, leaving participants with both practical tools and a renewed sense of purpose to drive transformative change in Haiti. ACT President and Co-Founder, Dr. Guerda Nicolas, and Angie Bell, multi-hyphenate local leader and entrepreneur, partnered to emcee the event with verve and grace. ACT Executive Director, Dr. Alyssa Jean closed the event with a personal story affirming mothers that it's possible to raise a family and pursue their own dreams.

RELIVE (OR IMAGINE) THE EVENT

The workshop began with a vibrant opening ceremony featuring traditional Haitian music and dance performances. This celebratory segment set the tone for the day, honoring Ayiti’s rich cultural heritage and instilling a sense of pride and belonging among the participants. 

Dr. Solanges Vivens delivered an inspiring keynote address, sharing her personal journey of resilience, her struggles and triumphs, and her vision for the future of Haitian women entrepreneurs. Her speech emphasized the transformative power of determination and education, providing a roadmap for success and empowerment. Following her keynote, Dr. Vivens engaged directly with participants in an interactive Q&A session. This segment allowed attendees to ask questions, seek advice, and gain deeper insights into overcoming challenges and building successful ventures.

In an engaging interactive session, Mirlene Charles focused on personal and professional development, providing participants with practical strategies for building their confidence, managing resources, and scaling their businesses effectively. The session was hands-on, equipping attendees with actionable tools they could immediately apply.

Small group discussions led by renowned Haitian women entrepreneurs provided an intimate platform for participants to hear real-life stories of navigating challenges, seizing opportunities, and achieving success. These conversations fostered a supportive environment, encouraging open dialogue and exchanging ideas.

The workshop concluded with a dedicated networking session, where participants could mingle, share experiences, and build meaningful connections. This informal gathering encouraged collaboration and the creation of long-term partnerships among attendees. 

PARTNERSHIPS 

The success of the workshop was built on strong partnerships with local and international organizations that share a commitment to empowering women: 

  • FONDASYON FELICITÉE: This organization brought its expertise in community development and women's empowerment to the event, contributing to a strong support framework for participants. 
  • Sakapfet Okap: As a local partner with deep ties to the community, Sakapfet Okap provided logistical support, ensuring the event resonated with the specific needs and challenges of women in the region. 
  • CLE-Haitian Sisterhood: This group played a key role in fostering solidarity and encouraging the participants to embrace collective empowerment to overcome obstacles. 
  • Atizan International: A dynamic organization dedicated to promoting Haitian craftsmanship and entrepreneurship, Atizan International brought a unique perspective to the workshop. By showcasing the value of cultural and artisanal industries, they inspired participants to embrace their heritage as a source of entrepreneurial opportunity and innovation. Atizan International’s involvement highlighted the potential of Haitian creativity to drive sustainable economic growth. 

These partnerships created a dynamic blend of local relevance and global insights, ensuring participants gained exposure to a broad spectrum of ideas and solutions.

This workshop was not an endpoint but a launchpad for change, a movement that will empower generations of women to redefine Ayiti's future. Through continued support, strategic initiatives, and the collective efforts of individuals and organizations, this initiative promises to inspire resilience, foster innovation, and ultimately shape a brighter, more equitable future for Ayiti.

Rural Ayiti Provides Effective Model for Disaster Relief

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Rural Ayiti Provides Effective Model for Disaster Relief

One year ago, the lives of many in the south of Ayiti would be forever changed. We stand in solidarity with our partners from those rural communities who have been working collectively to rebuild, since the earthquake that hit on August 14, 2021. As members of our team are on the ground right now to mark this remembrance, we remain actively engaged in learning by doing - specifically through our grants program.

After providing five years of support in Ayiti, the Ayiti Community Trust (ACT) has garnered key insights to help other nonprofit organizations provide an effective and phased-based approach to disaster relief. Our response to last year's earthquake further informed our ability to make an effective impact with our grantmaking.
One year later, we are sharing our community-driven approach in a new thought paper, "Rural Ayiti Provides Effective Model for Responding to Disasters," co-authored by our team members Guerda Nicolas, PhD, and Alyssa Jean, EdD. Because the demand to address the inevitability of impending natural occurrences is a significant concern for ACT, we hope to provide a viable model that responds to disasters while honoring the land and its people. The 2021 Earthquake Relief Fund was designed to support rural communities as they rebuild their lives in the three phases of relief, recovery, and reconstruction. This has allowed the team to gather vital intel, as well as test out how various interventions affect specific populations within the country.

The ACT Model for Effective Disaster Relief outlines four practical solutions for the diaspora, along with international aid organizations, on how to best contribute and provide the most impactful support toward disaster relief that leads to sustainable development in Ayiti.

  • Support Local Economy

  • Build Partnerships and Empower Local Professionals

  • Build Local Capacity

  • Communication and Document Experiences

When providing relief, it's important to recognize that there are structures in place before any international presence arrives on the scene. Building local capacity allows for an educational foundation that provides knowledge of individual and communal strength, informs community planning, and guides resource allocation for generations to come. Putting a focus on communication and documentation is essential for demonstrating efficient processes and data collection that can inform how friends of Ayiti invest in proven results that make a difference in the lives of Haitians. This approach requires groups to:

  • Identify key stakeholders who are trained for disaster preparedness to be on the scene and offer guidance and strategic planning.

  • Determine short-term and long-term goals as well as research needs for disaster relief efforts. Subsequently, share and clarify them with all stakeholders.

  • Focus on fundraising efforts that target the goals and needs that have been identified by impacted communities.

In the early stages of disaster response, many donors are emotionally driven by the horror of the events and simply want to help. This can sometimes lead to a less structured approach where organizations are gathering a myriad of supplies that may or may not be relevant to the current situation at hand. Furthermore, the import of such supplies contributes to the existing waste problems that exist in the country. This knowledge of Ayiti - specifically in the rural areas - will help to decipher which avenue works to strengthen the local community's current infrastructure instead of unintentionally weakening it.
Here are some ways to start:

  • Conduct a needs assessment to avoid unnecessary aid.

  • Set up contacts to facilitate buying supplies locally.

  • Reduce the drives for supplies to be shipped to the country.

  • Ensure that you can manage the storing, shipping, and delivery logistics of supplies prior to collecting them.

Our partnership with grassroots organizations restored and amplified a sense of agency in communities in remote access areas and promoted the purchase and use of locally sourced goods. This model creates sustainable community change that can be the blueprint for humanitarian relief not only in Ayiti, but for other adversely affected countries. And it speaks directly to our belief that a new Ayiti is possible, and that Haitians have the will and power to lead their own destiny.

By Manolia Charlotin - August 15, 2022

If Not Us Then Who: Building a Permanent Fund for Haiti Through the Mobilization of Haiti’s Resources-The Diaspora

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If Not Us Then Who: Building a Permanent Fund for Haiti Through the Mobilization of Haiti's Resources-The Diaspora

Building on an asset framing model that promotes the strengths and resources of Haiti, Ayiti Community Trust (ACT) has long recognized the significant role that Haitians living outside of the country can play in the development of the country. As a community foundation building a permanent fund to support grassroots organizations in the areas of Civic Education, Entrepreneurship, and Environment, the founders and board of governance sought to unite Haitians throughout the glove in recognizing the vital role that we can play as a collective in the future of the country.

The recent article in Politico by Joel Dreyfuss confirmed what we knew all along. The children of Ayiti (Haiti) living outside of the country must play a significant role in the country's future development. Over the past five years, we remained laser focus on building relationships and partnerships with Haitian organizations and individuals in the US, Canada, and other parts of the globe. Despite the urgency we knew existed to act expeditiously, we recognized that this might be a slow process due to the trauma and many ways that Haitians in the diaspora have been betrayed by projects that often lead to no results. We knew that this would be a marathon, not a sprint, and we geared up for the journey ahead. We believe that a permanent fund using an endowment model can be created by Haitians for Haiti. We saw an example of that when, upon hearing about the fund we were creating for the country, a 65-year-old Haitian woman wrote a $60.00 check which served as the first check deposited into the fund account at the Miami Foundation (where the fund is being invested).

We aim to reach an initial 20 million dollars in the endowment in 5 years, yield about 1 million dollars in perpetuity, supporting grassroots organizations in the outskirts of the capitals. We know that such a goal is reachable with Haitians and friends of Haiti united in legacy to create something for the country that will exist for generations to come!

By Guerda Nicolas, PhD; President of Ayiti Community Trust

Our Beloved Haiti by Elizabeth Louis

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Our Beloved Haiti by Elizabeth Louis

Our beloved Haiti continues to be in a pruning season where the mass is courageously attempting to purge out unacceptable political, dire livelihood circumstances, and violent across regions and sectors. The people of Haiti depase fatige, yo bouke (are beyond fatigued, they are tired of being tired)! The elements of the current times have been brooding for many decades and are reaching tipping points that have never been experienced or witnessed before in our homeland. The responses and cries cut through generations that are desperate for this relentless period to be over, where people's voices are affirmed, their human rights are honored, their concerns are listened to, and their holistic well-being of social, psychological, community, and Haitian identity are fully supported and validated.

The call for peace in all forms is not just the absence of violence and insecurity but truly a peace that attends to the needs of the people, that edify the souls of the people, and pay homage to our forefathers and foremothers who sacrificed for the birth of this nation to be free and liberated, by living productive and responsible lives that practices the Haitian

values of unity, strength, hope and faith. Collectively, these values and the ideals we have for our country cannot remain as desired dreams but must traverse the compounded challenges of our reality. As Haitians in Haiti and across the diaspora, what will it take for us to be one with each other to combat forms of injustices and let our spirits guide us in restructuring a society that upholds our narratives and vision for a Haiti that is representative of what we envision; rooted in the voices of the people, with the trunk of our Ayisyen identity, branched on the intentional efforts of today, and the leaves that flow our progress.

 

Our Beloved Ayiti (Haiti) by Elizabeth Louis

Our beloved Ayiti continues to be in a pruning season where the mass is courageously attempting to purge out unacceptable political, dire livelihood circumstances, and violent across regions and sectors. The people of Ayiti depase fatige, yo bouke (are beyond fatigued, they are tired of being tired)! The elements of the current times have been brooding for many decades and are reaching tipping points that have never been experienced or witnessed before in our homeland. The responses and cries cut through generations that are desperate for this relentless period to be over, where people's voices are affirmed, their human rights are honored, their concerns are listened to, and their holistic well-being of social, psychological, community, and Ayitian (Haitian) identity are fully supported and validated.

The call for peace in all forms is not just the absence of violence and insecurity but truly a peace that attends to the needs of the people, that edify the souls of the people, and pay homage to our forefathers and foremothers who sacrificed for the birth of this nation to be free and liberated, by living productive and responsible lives that practice Ayitian values such as: unity, strength, hope and faith. Collectively, these values and the ideals we have for our country cannot remain as desired dreams but must traverse the compounded challenges of our reality. As Ayitians in Ayiti and across the globe, what will it take for us to be one with each other to combat these forms of injustices? When might we let our spirits guide us in restructuring a society that is of our own creation and making? A nation that is rooted in its value for life, liberty, and togetherness. A nation tall and unwavering as is the trunk of Ayitian legacy. A nation whose influence branches over the span of the globe as is creates shade and refuge for the meek. A nation who cycles its leaves and flowers as a constant reminder that we must undergo seasons of pruning and of blooming. A nation of justice.

Cultural Philanthropy: Haitians Join in Philanthropy for Ayiti

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Cultural Philanthropy: Haitians Join in Philanthropy for Ayiti

Yes, Haitians are philanthropists too! This was my response to a person recently who was surprised when I was talking about how we at Ayiti Community Trust are mobilizing Haitians throughout the globe to build an endowment fund for the country. This tells me that people may not see us as philanthropists. From my experience, Haitians are one of the most philanthropic groups that I know. However, our philanthropy looks different and more culturally congruent. There is a difference between creating a culture of philanthropy and cultural philanthropy. The words cultural philanthropy often evokes a focus on philanthropy that focused on arts and culture. What I mean by cultural philanthropy is how different cultural groups are engaging in philanthropy to promote

development in their countries. The word philanthropy is often associated with White and high-income individuals. We rarely pay attention to how different ethnic and cultural groups engage in philanthropy to promote development in their communities and countries. For example, a couple of years ago, we had a plantain farmer who offered us some of the regime plantains as his contributions to the fund. When he sold these sets of plantains, he gave us the money. This is a true example of cultural philanthropy that we must acknowledge and celebrate.

To promote the role that Haitians are playing in philanthropy, this year, during Haitian Heritage month, one of the most visible celebrations of Haitian heritage and cultures across the globe, Ayiti Community Trust launched Haitian Heritage month fundraising campaign with a $10, 000 goal. We sought to celebrate our culture while also show ways that Haitians are engaging in philanthropy. As a result, we had over 50 people join in the fundraising campaign throughout the US and Canada, and we exceed our goal!!

So the message is clear. Let's broaden our perspectives about philanthropy to shine a light on the various ways that different ethnic groups are engaging in philanthropy. We are starting the discussion with our experience with Haitians. Yes, Haitians are philanthropists!

By Guerda Nicolas, PhD; President of Ayiti Community Trust

Edikasyon Sivik se yon potomitan nan devlopman dirab

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Edikasyon Sivik se yon potomitan nan devlopman dirab

Si nou chèche konprann byen, sivis vle di

respè, atachman ak devouman sitwayen genyen pou moun ki ap viv ansanm menm kote avèk yo, respè nan sa yo kwè ansanm ak respè pou lalwa. Ansanm règ sa yo ki ekri oswa ki pa ekri, jan pou moun viv nan yon sosyete, ki gen pou devwa mete regleman nan lavi popilasyon

an epi fasilite lavi kominote a. Ki vle di, se yon politik ki nesesè, pafwa li obligatwa, pou tout sitwayen ki ap viv nan yon kominote, pou kominote a kapab mache kòrekteman.

Potomitan pou devlopman dirab an Ayiti, Edikasyon

Sivik ap pèmèt sitwayen yo pran konsyans nan fon kè yo, konprann, respekte, epi simaye valè solidarite, tankou renmen frè ak sè, respekte lòt epi reskonsab tèt yo.

Ayiti Community Trust, rive konprann pou chanje

Ayiti, nou dwe mete piplis aksan sou jan nou ap montre sitwayen yo konprann kilès yo ye epi bay kilti nou piplis jarèt pandan nou ap kontinye pale de: Idantite, Dwa ak Devwa, Sekirite, Libète, Jistis, Leta ak Demokrasi.

 

Patisipasyon ou ap pèmèt reyalize misyon nou

ki se potekole nan pwojè tankou Lakou Kajou. ACT ap òganize tou nan mwa oktòb ki a ap vini an, nan vil OKAP, yon gwo woumble sou edikasyon sivik, kote plis pase 20 òganizasyon ki ap travay nan domèn nan pral ap patisipe.