The most prosperous societies are made and shaped by women. Their involvement is key in all conversations, making them critical agents of change who can fuel socio-economic development within their communities. Therefore, one of the most powerful ways to fight poverty is by empowering women to achieve their full potential. Sadly, their voices are often ignored by those who make the decisions that affect their lives.

In Haiti, most of the households are women-led. Furthermore, they also serve as the pillars of economic life, given that they form the majority of street vendors and support agricultural supply chains. But like in most societies, women in Haiti continue to face significant inequality and gender-based violence. Other issues such as limited access to health care, credit, and education further aggravate women’s potential to grow. To help alleviate these issues, we founded the “Women in Progress” project, which at the moment engages poor women in the region of St. Michel de L’Attalaye. Our primary goal with the “Women in Progress” project is to empower women to participate in the decision-making of their own families and the community at large. Their involvement makes them proud, and we are committed to helping them realise their dreams. Under this program, we educate women on trade and train them in running a small business to help them gain the traction they need to kick off their dreams. We also recognize the critical but often ignored role women play in Haiti’s agricultural sector. That’s why we are working hard to afford rural women in Haiti more opportunities to raise livestock. In this way, these women can benefit from higher productivity, and we can also cushion this sector against the shocks and stresses of natural disasters such as earthquakes and climate change.