STORY
Haiti remains the poorest country in the Latin America and Caribbean region and among the poorest countries in the world. Haiti’s development is hindered by political instability and is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters.* Rising Worldwide (then Rising International) partnered with our Haiti artisan group over a decade ago, which is based in a remote island village off the west coast of Haiti’s main island. This community is challenged with poverty and environmental degradation but is held together by a strong rural support network of friends and family. It is also home to one of the most progressive schools in the country. The women artisans are not only able to support their families from the sales of their crafts but are also protecting the local ecosystem by making crafts that don’t depend on precious and declining local forest resources. In Haiti, ancestral slaves were not allowed to do art. The co-founder, an American artist, felt compelled to undo this living history by bringing art back. She brought the first art supplies to the village, and began teaching the women how to draw and reignite the creative talents that had been shuttered away inside them.
*https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/haiti/overview
COVID UPDATE
During the pandemic, our Haiti partner artisan’s sales have been dramatically reduced and many of their wholesale clients are no longer ordering. The artists are feeling anxious and uncertain, and the current political situation and distress have the artists not feeling safe enough to leave the island they live on to purchase art supplies or see family. This is compounded with more COVID outbreaks, rising gas prices, inflation, and a shortage in staple foods. Despite these extremely difficult circumstances, the artists have managed to resume work this past spring (with outside assistance) and are renewing stock of their beautiful artwork and crafts.
