Daphne...

There is a woman, named Daphne, that worked in our house in Haiti. We have enjoyed working with her and getting to know her. She has three daughters ages 18, 16, 15. Her husband does not live with the family and does little to support them. This woman and her three daughters live with her mother, brother, and probably a couple of other random people. Their house is brick, which is actually not a bad living situation, and has 4 square rooms (dining room, kichen, and two bedrooms) and each room is about 10' square. It is clean and very crowded. Oftentimes the girls will sleep at someone elses house just so they have a little more space. Daphne is hard working, loves my family, and loves Jesus. It has been a joy to get to know her. 

Since moving to Global, I have asked Daphne if she would be willing to help me with my Creole for an hour about 2x a day. She doesn't speak a bit of English which is good because it means that she won't adjust her Creole for me to understand. So for the last three months, we have been able to discuss things on a deeper level. She has become a trusted friend. 

Daphne recently brought to my attention her desire to do more to support her family. People come to us all of the time to ask for help because the 80% unemployment rate in Haiti is one of the main problems in Haiti. However, hers was different. She came with a plan to raise and sell chickens. I asked her to put together a business proposal, I gave her the questions to answer, and told her if she put these things together, then we would talk. My experience in Haiti is that requesting this information is the end of the conversation. The asker very rarely comes back with it put together. However, she came back to me less than a week later with a pretty good business proposal. 

I sent this proposal to a friend of mine to ask him to look over it and help me decide if it was a wise business to start to which he replied, lets do it. He wrote up a contract for us which laid out the details of the micro-loan. I then explained to her that she will be required to pay the loan back and that whatever money she pays back will be used to help another woman start up a business. 

So, 3 weeks later, she was able to purchase 200 chickens. I don't know which one of us is more excited. By the end of October, she should be able to sell her first 200, and then purchase 200 more. I am so excited to be able to be part of helping her take the steps needed to take care of her family by herself. I am so excited to see the sparkle in her eyes. I can not wait to find out how this develops. 

"Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone." Andy Stanley

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." Mother Teresa

The little chicks. 

The chicks need constant management so her brother is partnering with her by spending the night there to watch them. 

The blue tarp thing is a place where they can put very small chicks that still need warming lights. Chicks this small are less expesive so they can purchase more next time. 

They have a sign. :)