Happy International Women's Day!

We are happy to introduce a young woman who serves as a role model for the girls who find home at Espwa – Katia!

 Katia began working with Pwoje Espwa after Hurricane Matthew, providing administrative support to our outreach services. Among all of the applicants, she stood out because of her kind and sweet personality. She received people with a gentle heart and conducted interviews of individuals and families who had lost everything in the hurricane. Not only did she perform administrative tasks, but Katia also participated in food deliveries to families and communities all across southern Haiti, and followed up with those receiving aid as they recovered.

Katia has a university degree in Business Administration, and lives with her family in Madame Combe right outside of Espwa’s gates.

After emergency relief services minimized, Katia became the first Haitian woman to serve on the Finance Team at Pwoje Espwa. She is a valuable member of the team, performing day-to-day finance and human resource duties that keep the office operational and on-task.

Katia continues to be the first friendly face to greet a community member in need of food or shelter aid, and participates in our community service outreach such as our Box of Joy events.

We are proud to have many hard-working, strong women working at Pwoje Espwa, including the women who make up our kitchen staff. These ladies work tirelessly to provide over 10,000 meals every week to our children, staff and community members. Some of them are the sole providers for their families, and ALL of them serve as role models for the girls at Pwoje Espwa.

Pwoje Espwa began admitting girls for residency in the aftermath of the earthquake in 2010. In Haiti, girls are more likely to drop out of school, more likely to be victims of gender-based violence, and less likely to complete their classical studies. Women perform most of the unpaid work in the Haitian economy, like house cleaning, gathering clean water, and child care. Despite having equal constitutional rights, discrimination against women is structurally embedded in Haitian society and culture.

By providing a safe living environment for the 80 girls at Espwa, we provide them an opportunity to complete their education, participate in extracurricular activities on campus, and learn important vocational skills, and grow as individuals.

To learn more about International Women’s Day and why it’s important, you can visit https://www.internationalwomensday.com/.