GIRLS’ EMPOWERMENT
“Girls in our area need us. We not only work with them on practical skills and education, but we also actually listen to them, spend time with them, and create trust. I remember being their age. I know they really need us.”
In 2016, CHP partnered with community leaders in Haiti to found the Girls’ Empowerment and Mentoring (GEM) program. This initiative has reached girls across the community of Petit Trou and created dialogue and action on girls’ empowerment, including equal access to education, female health education, vocational training, and community support around issues of gender-based violence and the restavik practice.
In partnership with Haitian expert organization Repanse Pouvwa (translation: re-think power) and its international partner, Beyond Borders, CHP has funded training and salary support for eight dedicated staff, including six mentors, who implement girls’ empowerment programming in three area schools.
Activities have included after-school, girls’ club programming; summer camps for both girls and boys; and introductory trainings for health workers in the area. These trainings, clubs, and programs, seek to provide information, safe spaces, tools for self-advocacy, and access to a network of supportive women and men. Over 100 girls currently participate in GEM, and thanks to a recent grant, the GEM program is growing to engage with more community-based programs and initiatives.
