Another take on the importance of the Zafèn project of the Vincentian Family.

There is no social security in Haiti – the Diaspora is the safety net of so many. Zafèn gives the Haitian expatriate community an opportunity to give back not only in money transfers but also in talent.

The resources are limited in the Diaspora. Even with all the good intentions, some might not have the capacity to keep up with the increasing demand of cash without weakening their own finances. There is a need to create small businesses that can create livelihood. Some members of the Diaspora have decided to invest and come to Haiti to provide technical assistance to their family and friends in very informal ways.

The reality is that 80% of Haitian professionals have left Haiti over the years, leaving a hole in their hometown. Mechanisms to give back are needed for those professionals. It is not a donation from the host country – who benefit from those resources – to help the Diaspora organize, it is due to a Haiti that has been an international donor of brain for decades.

Katleen Felix years ago works with the largest micro-finance institution in Haiti, Fonkoze,  writes “This is why we created Zafèn – to showcase those types of effort, help them find funding, and have a bigger impact in their community. This is not only a fund-raising tool but a program where business analysts will give them training and be an agent of change for those communities. We work closely with the Haitian Hometown Associations Resource Group to identify joint projects and communities that are trying to get out of the cycle of dependency and poverty.”

Jim Luce writes in the Huffington Post that after talking with so many Haitians “It seems obvious to this non-Haitian writer that the New Haiti, rising from the ashes of the earthquake, will succeed only with the full support of the Diaspora. Haitian-Americans are called to embrace their moral and social obligations. And they are doing so.”

Haitians need training and support to grow the businesses if they are not only to survive but also to break the cycle of national dependency. Zafèn is making that possible in many different ways.

See full story in the Huffington Post.