MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Batey Relief Alliance (BRA) Starts Microcredit Schemes for “Women’s Empowerment Program” in Haiti and Dominican Republic

The Batey Relief Alliance (BRA), a humanitarian aid organization, plans to launch agricultural and human capital development programs in rural regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In 2009, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) provided USD 2.5 million to BRA for agricultural development projects and microfinance schemes in rural communities in the two countries. The USAID-funded Women’s Empowerment Program enables BRA to partner with local organizations, including Fonkoze, a Haitian microfinance institution (MFI) that intends to empower impoverished female entrepreneurs; Partners In Health, a Haitian health development organization; and Esperanza International, a development organization in Mexico that also provides microfinance services. BRA’s goal is to create 30 women’s organizations, set up training services for up to 600 women, and provide microfinance loans for about 300 female business owners. These initiatives will especially target the southeast region of Haiti, known as the District of Belle Anse.

About the Batey Relief Alliance:

Batey Relief Alliance, established in 1997, is registered as a humanitarian aid organization that launches development projects in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The projects, which are usually health-oriented, are implemented by the BRA staff through partnerships with local government agencies and organizations.

About FONKOZE:

Fonkoze, established in 1994, is one of the largest microfinance institutions in Haiti. It offers various financial services, including micro-credit lending in groups, small and medium-sized business loans, savings products, currency exchange services, remittances services, health and education services, social impact monitoring, and life and credit microinsurance.

About Partners in Health:

Partners in Health, founded in 1987, is an organization that aims to provide health care options to the poor in Haiti. Its services include patient care, program administration, drug procurement, technical assistance, and fundraising. The structure of this organization is such that it collaborates with the Program in Infectious Disease and Social Change at the Harvard Medical School, the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health.

About Esperanza International:

Esperanza is a non-profit organization, established in 1985, that aims to “bridge existing needs [of the poor] with available resources” in Mexico. Its various projects include house building or providing primary health care, microcredit or social service programs.

Bibliography:

[1] Dominican Today.  “Batey Relief Alliance Launches New Programs in Haiti, Dominican Republic.” http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/poverty/2010/1/7/34407/print

[2] Batey Relief Alliance. https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/tiki-index.php?page=Batey+Relief+Alliance+(BRA)

[3] FONKOZE. https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/tiki-index.php?page=Fonkoze

[4] Partners in Health (PIH). https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/tiki-index.php?page=Partners+in+Health+(PIH)

[5] Esperanza International. https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/tiki-index.php?page=Esperanza+International

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