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Better Physical and Financial Well-Being Ahead for Rural Poor in Haiti
A new bank and a new hospital, evidence of this partnership, were recently dedicated before a crowd of more than 500 people, including area residents, aid workers, and public officials eager to celebrate the arrival of these much-needed social services in Boucan Carre, a sprawling commune of 10,000 people.
Fonkoze is a Haitian foundation that provides financial and related services to Haiti's rural poor. The new Boucan Carre bank office is expected to serve 2,500 clients over the next five years through micro-loans, savings, currency exchange, and money transfers.
The new hospital at Boucan Carre, jointly established by the Haitian Ministry of Health and Zanmi Lasante, is expected to register more than 60,000 patient visits annually. Zanmi Lasante, the Haitian sister organization of the Boston-based non-profit Partners In Health, has a long history of providing comprehensive health and social services in the Central Plateau and is especially renowned for its groundbreaking community-based treatment efforts for AIDS and tuberculosis.
The inauguration of a bank and a hospital in Boucan Carre makes financial and physical well-being far more attainable for the local residents. "We no longer have to find a way to reach Mirebalais or Cange to deposit our money or see a doctor," said Marie Joseph, a Fonkoze client. Both Mirebalais, the nearest Fonkoze office, and Cange, the nearest Zanmi Lasante hospital, are difficult to reach on foot or even by car.
“In addition to severe poverty, residents of this region are further limited by its remote location and distance from basic services,” said Dr. Paul Farmer, the medical director of Zanmi Lasante’s Clinique Bon Sauveur in Cange and a founding director of Partners In Health. “In establishing a hospital and a bank in Boucan Carre, we are bringing more than just medicine and money— we are working to break the cycle of poverty.”
The joint dedication of the hospital and the bank at Boucan Carre marks the beginning of a promising partnership between Fonkoze and Zanmi Lasante based on a shared commitment to eradicating poverty in rural Haiti. Clinics and bank branch offices are currently being planned for four additional sites in the Central Plateau. The outpouring of support for the opening of the new facilities at Boucan Carre is a clear indication of the need for these basic services and their potential to improve the lives of the local residents.
For more information, please contact Sharmi Sobhan, Executive Director of Fonkoze USA at 212.822.9553 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it