Chances For Children

Providing Hope For Children In Haiti

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Women’s Empowerment Sponsorship

The goal for our program is to help Haitian families stay together, through empowering mothers through job creation.

The goal for the Women’s Empowerment programs: Zel Haiti and the Microloan programs are to create dignified jobs for Haitian women so that they are able to provide for their families.

Zel Haiti (formerly Ila Joi) was born out of the idea that skill development and employment addresses the needs of families before they are at the point of desperation, driven to give their children to an orphanage because of extreme poverty. The program started in 2012 with mothers who came to relinquish the rights to their children simply because they could not afford to feed them. In 2015, we added our seamstress portion and in 2018 we began our microloan program. We currently employ 9 seamstresses, 4 artisans, 2 auxiliary staff and 3 different managers. Our seamstresses and artisans work hard to create medical scrubs, yoga mat bags and other home goods while the artisans create jewelry and ornaments out of recycled materials. Zel Haiti believes in paying fair, living wages. With their wages, the staff have been able to put food on their tables, pay for school for themselves and their children and pay rent or build a house. For many of them, these were just pipe dreams prior to being employed at Zel Haiti.

However, this is a business and a start-up business needs investors. We are currently searching for investors who can commit either $30/month or $360/year. When an investor commits, we will pair them with one of our Zel ladies. They have each agreed to welcome you into their homes and into their lives. They are excited that investors care about THEM and want to receive updates on their lives. We are also excited to offer special discounts to those who choose to invest in this business.

Would you consider supporting this wonderful program?

Women's Empowerement Sponsorship

Meet The Staff

Please meet each of the women below and consider how your investment will not only change their lives but the lives of the future generation of Haiti.

Adeline

Elimene

Elimene has been working for Zel Haiti since the beginning in 2015. She has 5 beautiful children and one grandchild. Most of her children are grown adults, although her youngest has severe special needs as a result of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Elimene says she is grateful for the job at Zel because it allows her to meet the needs of all her children, especially the medical needs of her youngest.

Carmitha

Carmitha

Carmitha is a sweet woman who is eager to work hard. She was previously married but unforunatley her husband died unexpectedly before they were able to have children, leaving her a widow at 28 years old. Carmitha has been committed to her work with Zel Haiti (formerly Ila Joi) since 2013. She says her favorite part of the job, besides being able to support herself and her young niece, is taking recycled boxes and making beautiful jewelry out of them. Carmitha is so full of joy and it is evident in the work that she produces.

Charlemont

Charlemont

Charlemont is a pastor of a church in Gonaives, Haiti. He began leading the first round of microloan recipients in Gonaives in 2018. Pastor Charlemont is married with 2 children of his own and 2 of his nieces who live with him as well. He has become an integral part of our team as we have grown the microloan program in the Artibonite department of Haiti.

Chrislande

Chrislande

Chrislande is a single mother to an adorable little boy. Chrislande started working in this program in 2013 when she was only 18 years old. Chrislande was forced to drop out of school when she was in 9th grade due to her family’s inability to pay for her to continue in school. She shares that her biggest goal is to be able to afford to send her son through the University – giving him a different life than she had!

Denise

Denise

Denise was also one of the original seamstresses when we started this program in 2015. Denise is the mother to 3 children plus has one grandchild she helps support! Denise has expressed the dream of being able to afford to put her children through the university. Prior to beginning this job, she could barely afford to put food on their table – being able to afford a university education for her kids felt impossible. Zel Haiti has made that dream a possibility!

Jolene

Jolene

Matina

Matina

Matina has a 2nd grade education. When she reached the 2nd grade, her family could no longer afford to send her to school so she dropped out and helped her mom at home. Matina is a perfect example of why Zel Haiti exists. Prior to working for Zel, Matina weighed only 90lbs and all of her children were underweight. Her family was placed in the C4C feeding program but it was recognized that more needed to happen for her family to thrive. Matina has been working for Zel since 2017.

Patricia

Patricia

Patricia is one of the more skilled seamstresses working for Zel Haiti. She has attended professional sewing school as well as pattern making school. She has been working for Zel since 2018. She is a mother to 3 beautiful daughters, all of which live at home with her. With this job, she has been able to afford to finish her professional training school and begin saving so that her oldest daughter can attend the university

Rose Marie

Rose Marie

Rose Marie has been working for Zel Haiti since 2017. She is a leader among the women. She is a mom of 4 kids and also has 3 other children who she adopted when they were young after the death of their parents. It is hard to find a space for 9 people to live under one roof but through her employment with Zel Haiti, she is able to pay to rent a house large enough for them all. Her dream is to save enough money to purchase a piece of property and begin building a house.

Rosemene

Rosemene

Rosemene has grown leaps and bounds in skills since she began sewing in 2018 – she even won employee of the year in 2021! Rosemene has said she was humiliated to return home each day prior to working for Zel because others judged her for not being able to provide for her family. Now, she says she has dignity to face them because she provides school, food and housing for her entire family. She has 4 children ranging from 22 years old to 5 years old and she is responsible for her younger sister too.

Valentine

Valentine

Valentine brings a joy and personality to Zel that was lacking prior to her employment here. She has been working with us since 2017. She has said that she has noticed an improvement in her parenting because this job has given her the opportunity to know that she is creating a different life for her kids. She is the mother to 2 handsome boys plus has another child in her care. Valentine was a teacher prior to working for Zel but due to the deplorable situation in the country, she wasn’t paid for her work and had to seek out new employment.

Sponsorship Plans

Plan A

$30/month ongoing investment will allow Zel Haiti and our Women’s Empowerment programs to continue to pay fair and living wages as well as give out more microloans. Our women’s empowerment program consists of 9 Zel Haiti seamstresses, 4 artisans, 2 auxiliary employees and 2 microloan program managers. We have also distributed over $25,000 in business microloans throughout Haiti. Through sponsorship, we are looking to develop relationships between sponsors and staff through direct letter writing, video introductions and allowing them to join their family! Investors will receive quarterly updates on the seamstresses as well as access to special discounts on the zelhaiti.com website.

Plan B

$360/year investment will allow Zel Haiti and our Women’s Empowerment programs to continue to pay fair and living wages as well as give out more microloans for 1 year. Our women’s empowerment program consists of 9 Zel Haiti seamstresses, 4 artisans, 2 auxiliary employees and 2 microloan program managers. We have also distributed over $25,000 in business microloans throughout Haiti. Through sponsorship, we are looking to develop relationships between sponsors and staff through direct letter writing, video introductions and allowing them to join their family! Investors will receive quarterly updates on the seamstresses as well as access to special discounts on the zelhaiti.com website.