Chemen Lavi Miyo—Pathway to a Better Life
Haiti

Name of project: Chemen Lavi Miyo—Pathway to a Better Life program
Project implementer: Fonkoze
Project partners: Concern Worldwide, Partners in Health
Location: Rural Boukan Kare, Twoudino and Lagonav
Start date: 2006
No. of clients reached: 150 women
Research: Qualitative and quantitative mid-term evaluation by the Institute of Development Studies; qualitative research by Brac Development Institute and CGAP
Livelihoods: Livestock (chicken, goats) and small trade
Consumption support: US$5.50/week (based on price of a kilo of rice a day) for eight months
Financial service: Individual savings accounts at Fonkoze
Additional services: Fonkoze provides business development training, helps with housing renovation, sanitary latrines, and clothing; support from Village Assistance Committees; Concern Worldwide trains committees in conflict management; free health care with Partners in Health in Boukan Kare
Scale up: 1,000 people in 2009; 5,000 by 2015

Fonkoze is an accomplished microfinance institution in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Established in 1994, Fonkoze currently has over 165,000 depositors, over 50,000 active borrowers (99 percent of whom are women), and 36 branch offices spread throughout every department of Haiti. It offers credit, savings, remittances, currency exchange, microinsurance (life/credit), literacy, business skills, and life skills training.

Fonkoze’s graduation pilot is called Chemen Lavi Miyo, which means Pathway to a Better Life in Creole. The pilot serves 150 families in three sites, in three of the poorest areas in Haiti: Boukan Kare, Twoudino, and Lagonav. Fonkoze is partnering with other nongovernmental organizations to offer health services and is providing a wide range of additional benefits itself, such as facilitating school attendance for members’ children.

Fonkoze targets women-headed households, with multiple children; families with no income-generating assets; those whose children don’t attend school; those who lack reliable access to food and are often hungry; and those who do not have access to healthcare or do not know how to access it.

Fonkoze provides all members with the assets necessary to establish two of three income-generating activities: goats, chickens, merchandise to sell. The Chemen Lavi Miyo program also offers materials to construct: a 9x9 meter home with a sturdy roof and floor, a latrine, and a water filter. Fonkoze also provides a weekly cash stipend for eight months. Chemen Lavi Miyo staff visit households each week to provide healthcare with training on how to use it, reinforce business development training and track progress, and help beneficiaries build confidence and life skills.

Project status
After 18 months, Fonkoze evaluated each of the 150 families for their readiness for graduation. Members could not graduate out of the program if they had a malnourished child, were too sick to work, or had a shoddy roof. Additionally, members were evaluated according to the following criteria: the member’s family is “food secure,” the member has two income-generating activities, the member has an active savings account, the value of her productive assets is US$150, and the member has confidence and a plan for her future.

Ninety-five percent of program participants met the above criteria and graduated out of Chemen Lavi Miyo. Of these, 75 percent took their first small loan (of about $25) through Fonkoze’s Ti Kredi program immediately after graduating. Others continue to join. Ninety-nine percent of Chemen Lavi Miyo members report that they are confident that they can provide for their families and that they have made progress on their pathway out of poverty. Fonkoze is preparing to scale up this pilot in Boukan Kare; the goal is to reach 1,000 people in 2009 and 5,000 by 2015.