Thursday, February 9, 2017

Micro-enterprise Triumphs

Testimonies from Mombin Crochu

"I have a small business selling beverages.  When I first started it with my own funds it didn't go well.  The small profit that I made did not really help me with my personal needs.  The CHE program teaches micro-enterprise.  I became involved with CHE.  I came to know more about business and I also received a small starter fund through CHE that I could add to my own funds.  My business grew and I increased my profits.  This has enabled me to pay for school for myself as well as to pay for school for a few months for my little sisters.  And I also contribute to food in my household.  My father is in the Dominican Republic trying for a better life but it isn't going well -- he can't find work so he can't send money back here to his family.  I am very grateful to the CHE program for their good work and for what we have learned." 

"I have a business selling rice as well as things people need for sewing clothes [needles, thread, etc.].  When I started a long time ago I made some profit.  I am married and have children, and I have this business to help my husband because he cannot make enough for our family.  Now I'm associated with the CHE group in Mombin Crochu and they had micro-enterprise teaching.  I now understand my business better.  I was able to get a small loan and this enabled my business to grow.  I now make more profit because I understand better how to manage my business.  My business has also grown.  This has improved my family's economic outlook."  

About our Micro-enterprise Program
Someone asked me a couple of years ago if we did micro-enterprise teaching. I said that we had lessons that we hadn't taught much for years since that portion of our program wasn't regularly funded. That person asked me to send him a plan for use of funds - turns out our director had an entire 5-year plan in his head for whenever we found funds.  Since that time, just one donor has funded teaching in many villages throughout northern Haiti in both micro-enterprise as well as savings groups.  We have such a creative, hard-working, plan-ahead team!