A Note From Our Haitian Partners
One thing we love about our customers, Ambassadors, and Hostesses is your radical commitment to empathy. You are caring and compassionate in a world where it would be so easy to be closed-off and apathetic instead. You keep your eyes open when it would be more comfortable to look away. We know that you share our passion for building a flourishing world, and that you care deeply for our Artisan Partners across the globe. That’s why we wanted to share this important update with you about the profound challenges our friends in Haiti are currently facing—and encourage you to educate your community about this largely unreported situation.
As we write this blog, Haiti is entering its fourth week of anti-government protests that have paralyzed the economy and shuttered schools. Approximately two million Haitian children have been unable to attend school for nearly a month.
The situation in Haiti may barely catch the attention of US news outlets, but it is devastating for our partners in Haiti, their families and communities.
It is times like these that the full importance of Noonday’s orders and partnership becomes profoundly clear. Noonday’s orders, made possible by your orders, are providing stability to our Artisan Business Partner in Haiti right now. This stability gives the Artisans who work in the workshop hope to be able to change their future, and hope for a future of flourishing.
We reached out to our partner in Haiti, Chandler, and she asked us to share this update with the wider Noonday community.
“To our Noonday sisters, partners, and friends-
It’s difficult to put words to the gravity of the situation we find ourselves in currently, in Haiti. As many of you know, the past year has been filled with periods of unrest, protesting, and road blockades preventing day-to-day activities from taking place across the country, but particularly in Port-au-Prince, where our main workshop is located.
The protests are for good reason. The majority of the population already lived in extremely vulnerable conditions and the lack of governmental leadership and insufficient accountability have forced those conditions to a crippling point.
There are many factors that come into play that have led Haiti, as a nation, to where we are now, and sadly, there is not a clear end in sight to the extreme political unrest we find ourselves in. The country is being held hostage by politicians who want power, but also by real people with hopes of change, hopes of a better life, and hopes of a revolution for the average person, and Haiti desperately needs change.
However, the price the population is paying for this demand for change is very high. Businesses can barely function, and many are being destroyed, either intentionally, or as part of the collateral damage that comes with large protests. A true food crisis is upon us, and the prices of staple goods continues to rise every week. It’s difficult to find transportation to get to work because of the road blocks and on-going fuel scarcity.
We feel that we cannot continue to be held hostage in our homes, however when we do venture out there is always fear of what is happening on the roads around the next corner as the protests are sporadic and seem to pop up randomly. It is impossible to predict if there will be a large protest gathering, burning tires, stone throwing, or if the roads are just eerily calm and passable. Children haven’t been able to go to school for over a month, and the schools that have tried to open their doors to students are being threatened. We are living in the unknown, day-to-day.
It’s been quite difficult to keep our optimism for change during this time. We are tired both physically and emotionally. However, we will not waiver, and we will not give up. We founded our Artisan Business because we believe in Haiti, we believe in fighting for economic justice, and we believe in creating opportunities for families to flourish.
Your orders have given us stability, motivation, and hope. Your orders keep us moving. They bring us together. They take our eyes away from the burning tires and remind us of the Haiti we are working towards, of hope for the next generation. We feel your support from miles away and cannot adequately express the gratitude we have for you standing with us and supporting Haiti during this time.
Now more than ever, we see that we cannot wait for someone to bring the change. We must make the change ourselves, and your orders provide us a pathway to do just that.
From Fabienne, Director of Operations:
“Even though things are really bad, people are still fighting for hope. Every morning, no matter what, I go out and the street vendors are there. They are the first ones out every morning. They have no choice, that’s the only thing they can do—they must keep fighting. They show up every day, and we will too. Because people are counting on us. Noonday’s orders have given us stability during this time—and we need you now more than ever.”
Thank you for empowering us to continue to support our Haitian Partners with regular, sustainable orders. We are so proud of what our community is allowing us to do in Haiti—but we know that we can do more to help our friends during this time of crisis. There has never been a better time to shop our beautiful Haiti Collection. Every purchase gives hope and dignified work to our talented Haitian Partners during a tumultuous time.
