By Corstiaan van Aalsburg

Natural disasters, including a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in 2021 and ongoing gang violence are driving factors behind the economic crisis. Haiti has one of the highest levels of food insecurity in the world with nearly half the population not having enough to eat.

Ernise Lewis, 48, lives in Lescave with her husband, Roosevelt Lindor, 52, and four of their five children; their eldest child lives with an aunt in the town of Les Cayes. Lescave was hard hit by the 2021 earthquake but with the support of donors, World Renew Haiti has been able to work to help share hope with the most vulnerable families in the community. One way World Renew Haiti is helping families to change their stories of hunger and poverty is through Self Help Groups (SHGs). SHGs provide a space for members to pool their savings; once the savings pool is large enough, members can access low-interest loans. Through the SHGs members also have opportunities to receive training in money management, income-generating activities, and more.

Ernise became a member of a SHG in June 2022. “My group is made up of 49 members, including 26 women. We meet every week and collect our money together. In October 2022, I received a loan of 50,000 gourdes ($504 CAD) which I had to pay back in four months,” she shared. Ernise invested the loan in the purchase of yams and vegetables in the Lescave region, to resell at the Les Cayes market. She repaid the loan and generated a profit of over 30,000 gourdes ($302 CAD), which she used to pay for her son’s schooling, to send groceries to her eldest child, to help her husband buy seeds for his farm, and to invest in buying vegetables for resale.

At a time when many Haitian families are struggling, Ernise feels blessed to be able to help provide for her family and is ready for her second loan. “May God bless World Renew and its donors,” she prays.