Training Spotlight: Sere Pou Demen
Salaus Maitre, our in-house personal finance mentor for our Sere Pou Demen program, held a budgeting training this month to teach on the ideas of setting financial goals and taking steps to reach them.
“I had several goals for this training. First of all I wanted everyone who attended the seminar to leave with a better grasp of how to prioritize their goals and to make their goals more clear and attainable. I wanted them to leave with the understanding of how to create and evaluate a budget, and to have a better grasp on how their money is being spent and how to go about understanding that better.
I felt that the training went very well. I have had so many people who attended the training that came up to me the following week and talked to me about how they were changing their spending habits and were sticking to the budget they created. I even had one participant use my own advice against me in order to stick to their budget and not spend carelessly. That made me so excited and happy to see the training being practically lived out!” - Salaus
“I really liked this training. It helped me to understand the basics of how to create a budget that is manageable. I now feel like I have the necessary understanding to know how to spend wisely in order to stick to the budget I have created.” - Abraham
““This training really helped me to understand how to manage my finances and how I need to limit my spending so that I don’t end up wasting my money, and instead I can reach my goals.” ”
The Sere Pou Demen program is a customized education and savings programs provided to our artisans for the purpose of land & home investment, furthering their education, and business start-up.
Support Sere Pou Demen below -
all donations go toward matching savings incentives for our participants this holiday season.
Meet the Makers: Fall 2018
Every product is made by a person -
Here are the faces behind this season’s Maker’s Box magic:
MEET CLERNA - JEWELRY TEAM
“I love working with my team. We work well together, and are always taking care of each other.”
MEET GERALD - LEATHER TEAM
“Working with HDC betters our lives, and I want everyone to see how we represent our country in the products we create.”
Social Programs Report: Prison Visit
When we asked our Haiti Design team what kind of thing they would like to do in their community, the sewing team almost immediately jumped in about how they all desired to visit a prison. Whether you have lived in Haiti all of your life or even a short time, you have heard the horrible rumors of how people are treated in the prisons here.
“I need to see for myself.”
“I need to see if it’s true.”
“Jesus tells us to go and visit, and yet we never have.”
Those were the resounding forefront responses of our team desiring to go.
We didn’t know what to expect, in fact none of us have ever gone.
Fabienne, our Director of Operations, jumped at the opportunity to serve, and immediately searched out a contact for our team to go with. Fabienne connected with Heartline ministries, and our team went together with them this past week.
“It was so important for our team to go visit this prison- none of us really understood the reality of what happens behind bars,” Fabienne said, “ I think the most important thing our team learned while we there is how similar we all are. The reality is that many of these women that we visited had been in the prison for a really long time and they haven’t even had a trial or have seen a judge yet. There were many women who were struggling with severe health issues like cancer or were pregnant. Having the opportunity to just pray with these women and offer a small amount of encouragement was really humbling.”
As the leader, Fabienne was so proud of how engaged our Sewing Ladies were. They were so overjoyed to be able to help in a small way, and knew how important it was that they share about the need and suffering happening in prisons here.
“While I was there, I met so many women who were just like me, but they were in prison, guilty or not. I felt God pushing me to pray for them, to liberate those who are innocent and haven’t even had a trial.” -Rose Lore
“When I met the women serving time in the prison we visited, that made me really reflect on a lot of things. When I got home, I talked with my children and a lot of other people about my experience. I told them how important it is to be cautious and careful, so that they don’t end up in a place like that.” -Yvrose
“We all sin and we make mistakes.” Fabienne went on, “There isn’t a huge difference. We need to speak out for those who are innocent and are stuck without help, and we also need to encourage those who did something wrong and are now paying the price.”
One of the members of the sewing team, Darline, shared of her experience with many members of our other teams, and that led to some hard questions, and good discussion. Afterwards, they got together, joined hands on our rooftop, and prayed out all at once- for the women they met, the injustice they had seen, and for the hardships of the ones in their own circle.
“Seeing a reality like that, “ Fabienne said, “It moves you towards compassion, and that’s the direction we want to always be moving toward.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Courtney Sanon lives in Port au Prince, Haiti with her husband Jimmy and their two adorable dogs. Courtney is the Social Programs Coordinator at Haiti Design Co. and is also the founder and director of Ansanm Haiti, which supports family preservation and community development in rural areas of Haiti.
Meet the Makers: Summer 2018
The Summer Maker's Box is one to behold - beadwork and aluminum casting artisans bring you the best of their workshops, and you get to learn more about their lives, in turn. By ordering your Maker's Box, you lean into the connection that we all have with the makers of every product we buy, and step closer into the Haiti Design Collective family.
Meet Maggie: Beadwork
My name is Maggie Joseph and I started working with HDC when we began the VAK branch in O Cap. Before getting this job, I was always in a situation where I was constantly obligated to take out loans, but since having a steady job with VAK, I have never had to borrow money- which is very empowering. I would love that our customers know and realize what a difference they are truly making. There are so many women in my neighborhood that watch me go to work every day, and they often come to the workshop looking for a job. Every product our customers have purchased have given so many people steady jobs that help support their families, and every product they will buy in the future will give even more steady jobs. I want to see VAK grow and make progress, and I want to help my children to receive a good education so that they can go far in life. I’m very proud of the work I do at VAK, and am proud of the way our team collaborates together.
What is your favorite……
- Haitian proverb: Yon sel dwet pa manje kalalou: You can’t eat okra with only one finger
-Haitian artist: worship artist- Libenson
-Haitian food: Plantains with beef
-Place to visit in Haiti: Port-au-Prince
Didier Fernand: Aluminum Casting
I’m Didier. I am 31 years old and am from the city of Port-au-Prince. I am a Christian and am the oldest in my family, so a lot of responsibility rests on my shoulders. I have been an Artisan for three years. I grew up in the same neighborhood as my team manager and he taught me everything I know when it comes to creating pieces out of aluminum. I love creating our aluminum animals and bangles, and I enjoy stamping and creating different patterns in our products. I have come to feel really comfortable doing this kind of work. My team interacts like a family does. We are always joking around, encouraging each other, and making sure to keep lifting one another up when someone is feeling down. I’m really thankful that my team is a dynamic one that is continually enthusiastic about what we are creating, and is always there to help the next person out when needed. As a Haitian, I am so proud of the history of my country and of how we started a revolution to gain our independence. I feel so proud when someone purchases our products and sees that there a lot of beautiful things that come from Haiti.
What is your favorite……
- Haitian proverb: Kabrit ki gen twop met mouri nan soley (A goat with too many masters dies in the sun)
-Haitian artist: Ritchi
-Haitian food: Rice with bean sauce and Haitian vegetables
-Place to visit in Haiti: Jacmel
