Priest's creative efforts save Haitians from poverty

To combat that problem in his native Haiti, Father Phillipe created Fonkoze, Haiti's alternative bank for the organized poor. A non-profit organization, Fonkoze fosters economic development by providing the poor with capital and training to succeed in small businesses and become self-sufficient.

Last week, he visited the Albany Diocese to beg support for Fonkoze. Fonkoze -- whose name means "the shoulder-to-shoulder foundation" -- already has a regional office in the Diocese to collect grants and donations, coordinated by Sister Anita von Wellsheim, RSCJ.

'Backyard'

Father Phillipe founded Fonkoze in 1995 to offer low-interest loans to such vendors and other small-business owners, whom he calls "the cornerstone of the economic development" in Haiti. Today, Fonkoze is an alliance of more than 1,600 peasant organizations, women's collectives, cooperatives, credit unions and religious communities.

Instead of going to loan sharks to borrow money at interest rates of up to 200 percent, the priest said, a woman who sells housewares or food may go to Fonkoze and receive not only a reasonable loan, but also literacy and business-skills training.

Growing

The largest member organization of Fonkoze is called The Peasant Association of Fondwa, or APF. APF has founded a health clinic, schools, environmental projects and other forms of aid for a half-dozen Haitian communities.

During his visit to the U.S., Father Phillipe said he was excited to announce that APF plans to found a university for the poor, to be located in the mountains of rural Haiti. He is currently seeking both scholarship funds and American teachers with master's degrees or doctorates who will volunteer to teach at the college.

"We are working with the poor, and we want to give them the top," he noted.

Links

Americans who want to visit Haiti to learn more about its needs can do so through a program of "edu-tourism." For $520, anyone can spend a week in the town of Fondwa, attending seminars and activities with the poor of the region.

The priest realizes that the political situation in Haiti can't be changed overnight. However, he hopes to find "people who have the spirit" to work toward change.

"The work we are doing is like a farmer who is seeding," he explained. "You can see the results after a while."

(To learn more about volunteering, donating to Fonkoze or visiting Haiti, call Sister Anita von Wellsheim at Fonkoze Albany, 427-9092, or email [email protected]. Fonkoze's website is www.fonkoze.org.)

(03-28-02) [[In-content Ad]]