Summary

Munette is a lively and fiery mother of four children, none of whom are going to school. Her home was recently burned down, and the stock of supplies for her small business were destroyed. Her family eats one or two meals a day, but it is just rice (there are no vegetables or meat to put in it). Sponsorship level: $24 per month

Household

She has three children:
Jackinson Chery, age 4
Beatrice Selestin, age 13
Gertide Levaye, age 20

Personal information

Munette is a lively and fiery mother of four children. She seems very strong, courageous, lively, and fiery, with a nice smile.
She lives with her husband, Jackson Chery, who is the father of Jackinson. They have grown food to make a living. This year none of her children are going to school. But last year Beatrice went to school.
Munette has been a saleswoman. She sold soap and cosmetic products in the Cayes Jacmel market. She had been selling on Wednesdays and Saturdays. But everything burned in a fire, including her house. The house burned on October 17, 2007.
Now they just sit all day because they don’t have anything to do. Friends sometimes give them clothes and money. “Sometimes, if I have money I buy food.” They eat one or two times per day, not much, just a can of rice. They cook this rice with salt, but there is no meat or peas. There is no purified water. They get water from the river, and carry it up the hill, which is pretty far.
Munette is sick, and has malaria fever. This began after the house burned.
Jackinson has marks on his skin, from bathing in the river. This area has no clinic, but Munette could go to one in Cayes-Jacmel (if she had the money). Her husband is now making chairs to get Jackinson to the hospital.
“We don’t have enough food to eat. It is not enough!”

Community information

Munette lives in Platos Michelle, a rural grouping of homes on a path reached from Cayes Jacmel, a village on the South coast of Haiti. Platos Michelle is perched on the foothills of mountainous territory, with wonderful views of the ocean. Road access is difficult, as the dirt roads are steep and rugged, and while it is possible to hire a motor bike, most people walk down to the water (about an hour) when they need to go to Cayes Michelle. There is no electricity, and there are water faucets occasionally available along the road. There are no schools in the area.
It is safe here – there is peace.
Only on December 31 there is a party in this area for the children. Munette goes to the Vodou and to the Catholic church – which are together. Church is every Sunday, but Vodou is not often.

Self-survey

Munette says that she is friendly, loving, and sharing. Her talents are as a saleswoman.

Unique path

She wants to rebuild her house.
She wants to learn sewing and art. She wants to learn basket art, weaving baskets. There isn’t a place to learn this, but there are people she knows who will teach her. She also wants some money to make a business to sell cosmetic products.

Life Plan and Sponsorship

Immediate needs
-- Medicine for Jackinson
-- Rebuild house
-- Food
Goals and dreams
-- Learn basket weaving, sewing, and basket art.
Development
-- Send children to school
-- Money to develop business
Sponsorship level
$27.00 per month for one year. These funds will be used for the items described in the Life-plan, with focus on Development, which is a way of connecting immediate needs with goals. The sponsor is able to help guide the choice of priorities. Local organizations will monitor use of the funds, and the sponsor will receive monthly or bi-monthly updates of progress.

Interview details

Interview conducted by Geoff Bederson, Laura Reynolds, and Cajuste Jean-Louis, February 14, 2008. We took a tap-tap (shared open pickup truck) about 20 miles east of Jacmel, a larger town, to the smaller village of Cayes-Jacmel. Then we hired three drivers of motorbikes to take us up the hills. We drove about 20 minutes up, until the way was too steep for the motorcycles, and then walked the rest of the way, about 30 minutes.

Location