Meet Yolaine From The Artisanat Cooperative

Yolaine washing a signature Maison d'Haiti Nightgown

Yolaine is a 60-year-old woman who has been working in the Haiti Projects Artisanat Cooperative for the past 13 years. She is the mother of six children, two of whom she adopted after their father passed away. Her employment has allowed her to provide them with as much support and assistance as possible. She is grateful to have this type of work, as finding a suitable job that is not too physically demanding for her age would have been even more challenging. According to her, Haiti Projects is exceptional since it promotes the empowerment of women in the countryside of Haiti.

“The program has benefited many women in Fonds des Blancs in many ways. It has always been a program for and by women,” she said.

She is also grateful to the Director of the Artisanat, Jean Rene, who she considers a father figure to all of them. “We can count on him for assistance and support when facing any difficulties.” she said.

However, because of escalating inflation and the ongoing crisis in Haiti, things have gotten more challenging, with everything becoming more expensive. Yolaine hopes that more orders will be received to keep the business afloat, allowing everyone to continue making a livable, fair trade wage.

You can support Yolaine and the other artisans by purchasing a handmade product from Haiti Projects’ Maison d’Haiti.

What I love about the Artisanat is that it creates work for a lot of women in Fond des Blancs. There are still a lot of women in the community without work, and life is really hard these days. With my income, I am able to invest it into my own small business to create more money for my family. I would love for us to have even more work so that we can make more money and employ even more women.