Congregation Aids Haiti through Donation and Loans to Alternative Banks
February 10, Adrian, Michigan – For years, the Adrian Dominican Sisters have played a role in the improving the lives of the people of Haiti in such areas as literacy, a program to fight malnutrition in children, and business development. Today, through its support of Fonkoze, a local micro-finance institution, the Congregation is helping the people of Haiti to rebuild their nation and their lives after the tragic 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck on January 12. Fonkoze is an acronym for the Creole phrase, Fondasyon Kole Zepòl, meaning “Shoulder-to-Shoulder Foundation.”
 |
| One of the 41 bank branches in the Fonkoze network of Haiti before earthquake. All 41 are back in operation. (Photo from Fonkoze) |
Through the Community Investments Committee of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB), the Congregation has been working with Fonkoze for 14 years through low-interest loans. These loans – and those of other U.S.-based organizations -- enable Fonkoze in turn to make micro-loans to the people of Haiti.
In addition, the General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters decided to donate $5,000 to Fonkoze. The funds came from donations by sisters, associates, co-workers, family members and friends in response to the tragedy in Haiti.
“It is an honor for our Congregation to be partners with these courageous people, especially now at this time of unimaginable pain and loss,” Sister Maureen Fenlon, OP, a founding board member of Fonkoze in 1994, wrote in an email. “How fortunate for us that the PAB is making real/tangible our Congregation’s ongoing commitment and solidarity with the Haitian people…such a privilege it is for us to be standing with them now.”
Fonkoze, an alternative bank for the organized poor, works with clients to rebuild the economic foundations in Haiti by providing the rural poor with the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty. Founded in 1996 with one branch office, Fonkoze has grown to 41 branch offices throughout Haiti. As of February 10, all have been reopened.
The PAB office offers the following update on the employees of Fonkoze, taken from their website, www.fonkoze.org.:
Five Fonkoze employees lost their lives in the earthquake and its aftermath. No one died in any of Fonkoze’s buildings.
Many employees lost family members or close friends, including one who lost three children and four close relatives.
Five key staff leaders took their children to the U.S. and then returned to Haiti.
Some 145 employees lost their houses, and another 121 need to repair their homes.
The PAB office receives regular updates regarding the situation in Haiti. If you would like to receive more information regarding the work of Fonkoze USA in Haiti, please visit their website, www.fonkoze.org. Donations to Fonkoze may also be made online at that website. Checks, made payable to Fonkoze USA, may be sent to them at 50 F Street, NW, Suite 810, Washington, DC 20001. Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, peace activist and retired auxiliary bishop of Detroit, suggests Fonkoze as an effective organization to support to help the people of Haiti rebuild their lives.
Submitted by Lura Mack, Coordinator of Community Investments, Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board