2013-2017

REBUILDING LIVES WITH HOMES AND SAVINGS

2013-2017

CARE

CARE works in over 100 countries to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. The organisation reaches more than 90 million people through 1,300 projects. We supported CARE’s teams in Haiti, Ecuador, Cameroon and Bangladesh, where they provide job opportunities for vulnerable people and help them rebuild their lives.

www.care.org

CHALLENGE

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has been long plagued by poverty, civil unrest, and political and economic instability. Over recent decades the country has also been impacted by severe natural disasters as well as cholera outbreaks. Over half of the populations lives on less than $1.90 per day.

ACTION

CARE teams implemented two programmes in Haiti. Both were designed to provide relief alongside building long-term financial inclusion.

SAFE AND DECENT HOUSING (2013-2015)

The first programme aimed to provide safe and decent housing for Haitians still living in temporary camps in the Port-au-Prince area three years after the 2010 earthquake.

The programme provided technical and financial support that allowed the owners of earthquake-damaged houses to repair their homes, in exchange for hosting displaced families.

MICRO-SAVINGS AND LOANS (2013-2017)

The second programme aimed to bring vulnerable people living in Haiti’s Ouest and Artibonite departments improved access to financial services.

The programme successfully facilitated the creation of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) in the communes of Gonaïves, Gros-Morne and Terre Neuve. VSLAs are self-managed groups of 15 to 25 people who meet regularly to save their money in a safe space, access small loans and obtain emergency insurance. Group members are trained to understand the basic concepts of lending, credit, repayment, interest and saving.

CARE also enabled more mature VSLAs to apply for bigger loans from formal microfinance institutions that wouldn’t otherwise be accessible.

IMPACT

As a result of the two programmes eight refugee camps were closed because they were no longer needed and over 1,700 people increased their earnings by an average of 88%.

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