Zafèn
August 2011
9 posts
Help Purchase Oxen for a Sugar Cane Mill
The owner of Wilter’s Sugar Cane Mill has already built a successful business. He has 5 employees (including a cane harvester, a cane transporter, two operators, and a cook to prepare the syrup) and plans for expansion.
There’s just one BIG problem. He currently has to lease oxen to make his sugar cane mill run, at $75 a week! Having his own oxen will decrease expenses on leasing costs and make the business more reliable.
Click here to learn more about this project or to lend money.
Back to School - Update on Scholarships
Last month we wrote about our efforts to raise funds for Foundation for the Technological and Economic Advancement of Mirebalais (FATEM) literacy initiatives. Money raised will be used for scholarships, educational supplies and school meals for economically disadvantaged children.
For the academic year 2010-2011, FATEM helped a total of 1,030 children (grades 1 – 6) from 14 different rural schools, at the average annual cost of $50 per child.
Our goal is to help increase that number and to send MORE CHILDREN to school this year. We’re off to a great start having already raised thousands of dollars.
Click here to learn more about this project or to donate.
THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY WILL MATCH YOUR SUPPORT UP TO A TOTAL OF $25,000.
Zafen Spotlight: Patrick Dessources
The Fonkoze network has been an effective way of informing the business community about the way Zafèn links funders to business development projects. Patrick says, “Zafèn does something very different.” Instead of saying ‘we’ll give you this and this,’ Zafèn asks businesses what they need and then finds a way to fill that need.
Patrick has found that SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are a hot topic in Haiti, and Zafèn and its partners are playing an active role in supporting the growth and development of this sector.
We couldn’t do it without your help. Check out the latest projects available for funding at zafen.org.
Fonkoze Blog: Inside a Fonkoze internship: Q&A with Jacqueline Ackerman →
fonkoze.tumblr.com
Learn more about Zafen by reading this great interview with an intern who works with our project in Haiti.
As if asking them to spend a sweltering summer working in Haiti weren’t enough, we asked our interns another favor. Tell us about it! Here’s our first response, from intern Jacqueline Ackerman of Fonkoze’s Zafen project. Thanks, Jacqueline! Look out for more Q&As on our blog in the coming…
35 Great Ways to Help: Lend to these Projects in Haiti
Simple, right?
Right now we have 35 projects that are urgently in need of funding. These include:
- a plan for a community organization of poor fruit farmers to purchase goats
- local agricultural investment in organic rice that will be sold to the national school lunch program
- a plan to purchase a new, bigger oven to increase production at a successful bakery.
- computer training for high school students and a revenue generating cyber cafe
- hens and chicken feed to reduce dependence on imported eggs
All of these projects will increase jobs and give a must needed boost to the local economies. Your small loan can make a HUGE difference. Or better yet, create a team and work with friends to fund a project together.
