Solange


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Solange has no choice but to live in "Cité Soleil", after her husband died a few years ago. Violence and poverty grip this teeming shantytown - Haiti's largest - with almost daily clashes between the United Nations troops and a host of armed groups. Until recently, a factory worker earning minimum wage ($1.80 per day), Solange cannot afford to move out of the neighborhood, so she is forced to endure the daily violence at home and on her way to work. Rather than be ashamed or frightened, Solange is involved in the Committee to Defend Working Women's Rights, in order to encourage women to unite and speak out in the home, the community and at work. She organized and leads a union at her factory that produces shirts for Fruit of the Loom. Solange faces her daily struggles with courage and inner strength. She is quiet and reserved, but her courage inspires women to be strong and stay organized. Solange details how current violence stems from an economic crisis long in the brewing. Just this Christmas 2006, she and her coworkers were laid off, as her factory closed, but she continues to remain active. Solange's is a story of perseverance against all odds.


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Frisline Thérèse Marquise Hélène

All rights reserved, 2006.