Haiti can be healed
Port-au-Prince, Haiti is a very poor place, and as a result, there is no developed banking or venture capital marketplace for small business or new business owners (not that Canada is much different LOL). This new entrepreneur designs and creates beautiful paper-mache sculptures using mostly recycled materials. The project’s goal was to raise $9,000 USD, and actually raised slightly more from several different investors! Yay! (Yes I was one of them).
The money was used to pay for initial inventory and freight shipping from Port-au-Prince to Albuquerque, NM where the items could be sold at a higher price (the marketplace in Haiti is non-existent).
In total, around 20 artisans are employed including, family, friends, and local youth.
Creating sustainable work is one of the most effective ways to help the Haitian people as they rebuild and recover.
Paper-mache is one of the oldest traditional arts in Haiti. The response to the products have been very positive. Buyers are asking for more, and in a few years from now, I’d be glad to see this project expand. (And yes, the people in Haiti are receiving fair wages for their work).
