Our Work
Delivering Aid Where It Matters Most
We work closely with local communities to identify their most pressing needs and deliver support directly to address those needs. Our focus is on education and skills training, the foundations of a sustainable society.
The Issues - Unemployment
More than 80% of Haiti’s schools are fee-paying leaving the cost of prolonged education and vocational skills training beyond the means of many Haitian families.
More than half of Haiti’s 1.6 million young people aged 15 to 24 leave secondary school early and 47.4% of young people in the labour market remain unemployed.
Overall, Haiti’s unemployment rate in 2018 was 14.5%, up from 14% on the previous year, but the real number is much higher as jobless young people in rural areas have disconnected from the labour market completely.
Lack of investment in infrastructure and education are two major factors behind such high levels of unemployment.
The Issues - Gender Bias
A recent study using World Bank data listed Haiti as a nation significantly below global enrolment rates for girls in schools.
Further, girls are often pulled out of school to assist with household chores or when families are faced with steep tuition fees. The data shows that 15% of girls aged 15 to 18 are no longer in school, compared to 11% of boys.
Only 45% of Haitian women over 15 years old are literate, compared to 53% of men over 15. This leads to higher levels of unemployment among young women and there is a general consensus that this trend in education needs to change.
When girls stay in school, life improves for everyone.
The Solution - Better Education
We believe part of the answer lies in empowering the younger generation to succeed in either finding or creating employment through better education and skills training, including entrepreneurship.
This kind of support can give them the independence they need to make positive life choices, to navigate the challenges of today’s rapidly changing job market and to create further employment.
Providing young people, particularly young girls in rural areas, with economic and social opportunities in a respectable and dignified manner is imperative, not only for their wellbeing, but also to ensure sustainable, inclusive growth and social cohesion.
Where We Work
Our initial pilot program is being rolled out in Fort-Liberté and Cap Haitien. However, our long-term vision is to sustain our programs over many years and scale them to the needs of Haiti's countrysides.