Haiti is among the countries in the world most exposed to natural disasters, and its vulnerability tends to increase with climate change, environmental degradation, and haphazard use of space, in cities. Women are likely to be disproportionately affected, including by the loss of livelihoods and by an expected surge in gender-based violence, often seen after disasters.
"I was running some errands here in Canapé-Vert's local market that afternoon. As I was standing in the waiting line to buy some flour and vegetables, I was invaded by an awkward unbalanced feeling. Before I made it to the counter, one of the food sellers voiced his concern, screaming with terror.
Then it all started: the floor began shaking violently out of the blue, so did the buildings around the market, making people rush out of their homes in seek of shelter. As the whole market was becoming a mess within seconds, I instantly thought whether my house was going to collapse or my family was getting injured, so I quickly retraced my steps back home. Indeed, the whole building I was living in had been overthrown. All I found was rubble”.
Almatita is an 80-year-old dweller in Canapé-Vert, one of the main working-class neighborhoods in downtown Port-au-Prince. Mother of one child, she has spent her life working fiercely as a street vendor in the capital of Haiti, a job she likes for letting her interact with dozens of local inhabitants on daily basis.
“It is not easy to forget that cloud of whitish dust which stained every street in the capital without exception. We were all terrified”, said Almatita.
Her life has consisted of selling commodities such as wheat, brown sugar, juices, olives, rice packages and other groceries. A journey that was turned upside down when the 2010 earthquake hit the island, leaving hundreds of thousands of deaths and a countless number of damages around the cities.
Women are the backbone of Haiti’s economy. They play a pivotal role as producers and traders, bringing together local suppliers and consumers. Despite this, following the several natural shocks that have hit the country in a context of social and political instability, many of them still lack decent employment opportunities or sustainable livelihoods.
Almatita, Marie Carmelle, Gislaine and Yvrose, are four saleswomen buzzing through the sidewalks in Canapé Vert, one of the main working-class neighborhoods in downtown Port-au-Prince, who seized the opportunity to relaunch their businesses following the deathly earthquake which struck Haiti back in 2010 with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and an initiative called 'Women Entrepreneurs' (Femmes Entrepreneures).
Initially, Women Entrepreneurs was launched to support businesswomen in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the whole country on January 12th, 2010 and it was then relaunched in 2018 to support women living in the most vulnerable neighborhoods of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The initiative has been funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and implemented by UNDP in collaboration with the community platforms in the city.
As such, Women Entrepreneurs has been providing training and enhancing women’s business skills, thereby boosting their autonomy and resilience. As a result, the women involved in the initiative have shown enormous resilience ensuring the continuity of their businesses during Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and the most recent earthquake on August 14, 2021.
“In 2010, I felt quite anguished, and I had the impression that the earthquake had deprived me of all my resources, a feeling that lingered until I joined the ‘Women Entrepreneurs’ project. It was an inflection point” recalls Marie Carmelle Faustin Joly.
Marie Carmelle’s 5-year-old daughter was seriously injured and required long-standing medical treatment and support from relatives. Forced to live with her brother-in-law, she also lost her job as a data entry operator at a local NGO and struggled to bounce back. Her persistence, however, allowed her to launch her own small restaurant in Canapé Vert where she first learned about 'Women Entrepreneurs'.
Through her involvement in the initiative, she received weekly training for 4 months and started the adoption of new commercial strategies, including shifting her business model to a mobile stall that allows her to reach more customers.
"Now, it is more profitable," she replies simply when asked about her decision to replacing her restaurant counter with a mobile stall.
UNDP Haiti has been implementing two methodologies: 'In Motion' and 'Growing with your business'.
'In Motion' is used by UNDP in the Latin America Region and adapted to the Haitian reality to strengthen Micros, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It includes training modules on how to create a business model, branding, quality assurance, financial accounting, sales and marketing, business administration and negotiation skills. It also gives the beneficiaries access to a graphic design support to have the possibility to create their own personalized logo and a financial support to refill their stock or buy new equipment.
'Growing with your business', focuses on investment and financial autonomy by providing a small injection of cash that they get to invest autonomously according to the business strategy, as well as helping them invest in equipment, which is often the main obstacle in growing their businesses.
“It’s not just about income, thanks to the Women Entrepreneurs initiative and UNDP, I was able to access the essential equipment to relaunch my project. Otherwise, I would have had to save for months or even years to buy my own refrigerator,” said Yvrose Jeantiné, another beneficiary of the initiative.
This contributes to the creation of an enabling environment for gender equality and the economic empowerment of women and to improve the resilience of local communities.
“To date, we can instantly identify earthquakes and react to them, our shops are located in single-story buildings as a precaution, our supply system is now based on the proximity of our suppliers and an eventual blocking of roads between cities would only affect us to a lesser extent. We were undoubtedly filled with fear for a few moments, but then we realized it was only the ghost of 2010", explained Yvrose.
Currently, UNDP supports over 500 small and medium businesses owned by women in Haiti, 354 small businesses through the In Motion methodology aimed at small businesses with lack of knowledge on how to run a business, and 166 with Growing with my business to support more mature businesses that need a support to grow access to the local market and find new clients. Fifty of these women entrepreneurs were part of an effort that started in 2017 in Grand'Anse after Hurricane Matthew, and UNDP is exploring avenues to expand the programme in the area after the latest earthquake.
After their continued engagement with Women Entrepreneurs, Almatita, Marie Carmelle, Gislaine and Yvrose are thrilled to dream big and say their future goals out loud. Gislaine plans to become a wholesaler and sell merchandise to other local merchants, while Yvrose would gladly specialize exclusively in food sales. Almatita would like to optimize logistics and distribution for all beneficiaries. Marie Carmelle aims for the scalability of her project and the move towards a greater quality of life.
© 2026 Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) en América Latina y el Caribe
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