Strong Women Build Sustainable Communities

By Sarah Leavitt

       A powerful women's movement, which today is more than 4,000 women strong was founded over 20 years ago in June 1986. This dynamic group, the Coordination of Women from Tet Kole- North West (KFTKNW), is located in Haiti's Northwestern penisula and is comprised of 600 groups of women of about 5 to 15 members each scattered throughout the region.

In addition, KFTK-NW is also affiliated with one of Haiti's largest peasant organizations - Tet Kole ti Peyisan Ayisen (TKPA) also founded in June 1986. Women formed this coalition to create an avenue for women to discuss problems specific to women and to develop strategies to resolve these problems. This included addressing a number of important issues like advocating for equal rights between men and women in the home and to improve economic conditions for its members.By Sarah Leavitt
A powerful women's movement, which today is more than 4,000 women strong was founded over 20 years ago in June 1986. This dynamic group, the Coordination of Women from Tet Kole- North West (KFTKNW), is located in Haiti's Northwestern penisula and is comprised of 600 groups of women of about 5 to 15 members each scattered throughout the region.

Since its inception, KFTK-NW has fought to ensure access to clean and potable water, food security and sustainable agriculture development.

Notable accomplishments in the past 20 years:

Proud members of KFTK-NW

• Pooling member resources and leasing a large tract of land for a cooperative of crop cultivation
• Preparing homeopathic remedies to sell in markets
• Creating microcredit funds to support women's economic activities- today there are three such funds in operation
• Distributing 80 small manual corn mills in partnership with Lambi Fund to expand market value of milled grains
• Building six rainwater >cisterns with Lambi Fund in Remon, which constitutes the main source of potable water for community members
• With Lambi Fund's support, building two rainwater cisterns in Lacoma that support community-wide activities at the Marie Vincent Community Center
• Constructing two Lambi Fund grain mills in Remon and Mawotyé >which support local economic activities

Impacts from this comprehensive network of women who work together as a unified front have been significant. The women of KFTK-NW have brought engagement and sustainable solutions to their communities. Residents of entire communities now have the opportunity to transform their crops, process their grains without traveling long distances and access to clean, potable water.

Merile Lebien, a member's husband, states that prior to construction of the grain mill, he and his wife had to get up at 2am to travel for hours to the nearest mill. They had to leave their children in the care of neighbors because roads were not safe for a woman to travel alone. Now, the local grain mill makes these time consuming trips unnecessary.

In addition to ensuring greater access to food and encouraging members to invest in agriculture, the mills have spawned a space for retail activities. Members now sell their wares, prepared foods, dried fish, bread and fruits to grain mill customers- creating a viable sub-economy in these communities.

"The women of KFTK-NW have brought engagement and sustainable solutions to their communities."

KFTK-NW members have recognized that Lambi Fund's training sessions offered on grain milling, project management and capacity building also strengthened the group's capacity to implement other projects in their communities.

Members in Remon described a system of water management they developed following a water management workshop offered by Lambi Fund. Thanks to KFTK-NW's ability to manage rainwater cisterns, two members of the community are now employed as "water managers" and the community has steady access to a locally controlled source of potable water.

Over the years, KFTK-NW has grown into a multi-generational network of women working together to improve their communities. They have proven to be a positive force that challenges critical issues they face and works together to solve them. By providing opportunities for training, economic development and sustainable incomes to its 4,000 members, KFTK-NW has not only strengthened women's position in society, but improved entire families' livelihoods.

Read more of Lambi Fund's Fall Newsletter here.