VIVA moves to Haiti

VIVA has joined with Bothar to support a livestock project in Haiti. Our partner there, Fonkoze, is a microcredit institution providing small loans and saving facilitites to over over 250,000 people in Haiti.They have now diversified into providing assests like livestock to the very poor to help them generate incomes.The programme, which will target women, will provide 20 families with cows and another organisation, Veterimed, will provide training and technical assistance.VIVA has committed 10,000 Euro to the project for 2012.

The initiative is part of Fonkoze's "Chemen Lavi Miyo" programme or the "Road to a Better Life" which reaches out to those on the margins of society who are not eligible for Fonkoze's microfinance programme. Throughout the 18-month program, case managers support clients as they learn to run their agricultural enterprise,repair their homes and access health care and education services. Participants develop both their capacity and their confidence until they have their own functioning microenterprises. After completing this programme participants move on to the microfinance programme where they can access loans etc.