Widline learns how Fonkoze helps ultra-poor up the ladder out of poverty

Fonkoze's Chemen Lavi Miyò (Creole for "Pathway to a Better Life") program for Haiti's ultra-poor women offers a safety net, livelihood training and financial services to create pathways for the poorest out of extreme poverty. “Not everyone is ready for microfinance," notes Anne Hastings, director of Fonkoze. "The ultra poor need programs to prepare them to enter a lending program and that is why CLM is so important.”

“CLM (Chemen Lavi Miyo) was sent to me by God," says Widline Hordesty. "Fonkoze was sent to us by God – that is what we tell each other. How else can you explain the change in all of us who graduated from the program?” Widline says when they get together, the graduates talk about their newfound determination, their newfound pride, and most of all, their newfound love for living. “It’s so much easier to wake up in the morning now. I am excited. I have a business to run. I go to the marketplace, meet other businesswomen and we discuss and share ideas and expectations for the future.”

When asked what she felt was the biggest impact the CLM program had on her, Widline was quick with her answer. “The biggest blessing that CLM has given me is a future for me and my son.”

A new video about CLM follows case managers in Haiti's central plateau as they work with women living in extreme poverty. Watch it here

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