Bourik chaje pa kanpe
The donkey who is overloaded can't stand still.
Men anpil, chay pa lou
Many hands lighten the load.
ach womans life history will shed light on a particular aspect of the country's current crisis, weaving Haiti's story within her own, something that is often missed by the mainstream and even alternative media.
The five women, Solange, Frisline, Thérèse, Marquise and Hélène, are members of the Committee to Defend Working Women's Rights, (KODDFF, in Kreyó) a grassroots organization. The committee focuses on solutions to common problems: women's rights, workers' rights, sexual harassment, violence, transport conditions, or living and health conditions in their communities.
Jobs working at Haiti's minimum wage of 70 goud ($1.80) per day are getting harder to come by. Just this past New Year's, Solange and Frisline lost their jobs as their factory closed shop for good. Factory owners offer two explanations: first, a wave of kidnappings and general downward spiral of violence that has plagued Haiti for the past several years. Second, since the World Trade Organization lifted quotas on Chinese textiles, businesses all over the Americas have been impacted.
Life is certainly harder than ever for now unemployed leaders. But, as Poto Mitan - central pillars - they are facing the challenges presented them with courage and fortitude. Also this year, they are forming a new organization, "Women in Action" to combat the multiple forms of violence and the discrimination against women that fuels it.
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