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New businesses bud in Haiti through UMCOR-supported candle-making enterprise

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By Susan Kim*

May 7, 2015—Haiti could soon have a new, strong set of grassroots women entrepreneurs, thanks to Prosperity Catalyst, a nonprofit with the mission of launching and fostering independent, women-led businesses in distressed countries.

UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is supporting Prosperity Catalyst through a grant that is helping assess exactly how small businesses can grow in Haiti. The assessment is focusing on candle-making enterprises that will create opportunities for vulnerable women to become empowered entrepreneurs.

Being a mother in Haiti

As Mother’s Day approaches, mothers in Haiti face particularly large challenges. In the wake of the 2010 earthquake, the world reached out to help support the country’s recovery. UMCOR responded with humanitarian relief as well.

With 80 percent of Haitians still living in poverty, the health situation of women and families is dire. Haitian women have a life expectancy of less than 63 years, and the infant mortality rate is one of the highest in the world. Lack of employment and economic opportunity impact these conditions.

“Our mission is to go to those places on the globe where women are most distressed,” explained Libby McDonald, executive director of Prosperity Catalyst. “We are working with people who have never gotten a business opportunity that works. That’s a dramatic shift.”

Studies show that when women are gainfully employed, their families thrive. Increased doctor visits, the ability to pay for school fees, and the ability to provide more frequent, healthier meals for their families are all benefits of women’s economic empowerment.

Analyzing the local market

UMCOR partnered with Prosperity Catalyst in 2013 to launch a pilot project to establish a women-focused candle enterprise. It brought together 20 women between the ages of 20 and 60. All were identified as economically vulnerable or escaping gender-based violence.

The new UMCOR grant builds on that experience and supports the women’s efforts to take their experience to the next level.

Building a business in Haiti requires a business plan every bit as sophisticated as that needed to start a tech firm in Silicon Valley. As entrepreneurs in Haiti develop their candle-making operations, they will be strengthening the local supply chain through careful business planning, said McDonald.

“These small enterprises will be enlivening the local economy,” she said. “For the candles, we have been assessing how to access the local network of beekeepers and local bee farmers. That’s just one example.”

The assessment UMCOR has helped to fund will answer questions crucial to sustaining a lasting business: what is the local demand? What is the potential for exports?

“We are helping women think strategically about the demand and their own capacity,” said Stephanie Finigan, director of operations for Prosperity Catalyst. “We think very analytically and we are data-driven. I believe that’s what makes us unique in terms of development work that helps entrepreneurs.”

Your gift to UMCOR Sustainable Recovery and Development, Advance #3021951, supports programs that engage communities recovering from disasters and building a strong, sustainable future.