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After 6 years at Fonkoze, Katleen Felix will now serve Haiti and its Diaspora as executive director of Kanpe Foundation
PRESS RELEASE (PDF) (en français)
Embargoed until August 15, 2012
Contact: Leigh Carter, Fonkoze USA (202) 628-9033 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
After 6 years at Fonkoze, Katleen Felix will now serve Haiti and its Diaspora as executive director of Kanpe Foundation
Katleen Felix, M.Sc, begins a new position at Kanpe on October 15 of this year. The Board of Directors and staff of the entire Fonkoze Family join together with friends and supporters to congratulate Ms. Felix for the extraordinary body of work she provided the Fonkoze Family.
Ms. Felix served various roles at both Fonkoze and Fonkoze USA in the past five years, but she is best known for her impactful presence within the Haitian Diaspora. Not only did Ms. Felix create and maintain the Haitian Hometown Association Database and contribute much to the research on remittances and development of new remittance products or initiatives, she rolled out financial literacy programs for new immigrants and training for Haitian Hometown Associations (HHTAs). She was a founding force behind Fonkoze’s program Zafèn. She is, and will remain, a strong voice for Diaspora engagement with not only Fonkoze, but organizations throughout Haiti.
“For Ms. Felix,” states Anne Hastings, CEO Sèvis Finansye Fonkoze, “it’s all about networking the community of Haitians living abroad, engaging them with their home country and home communities, to cultivate lasting development in Haiti.” Ms. Hastings continued, “with Katleen as our inspiration, Fonkoze is committed to maintaining Ms. Felix’s vision of Diaspora engagement in all we do moving forward.”
During the Second Annual Forum of the Diasporas which took place in Washington DC on July 15, 2012, Mrs. Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State, honored the work of Katleen Felix, and especially her work with Zafèn.
“Whether it is a for profit company or non-profit innovative company, we have observed, based on the experience of a member of the Diaspora… how it is possible to contribute to the progress and prosperity of a country previously disabled. We can use the example of Katleen Felix. She has actively participated in the ‘launching’ of a new web-based microfinance platform [Zafèn] that is making it easier for the exchange between the members of the Haitian Diaspora with access to capital and the multiple enterprises and development projects in Haiti which would not have been, as in the past, admissible for traditional bank loans.”
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About Fonkoze and Fonkoze USA: Fondasyon Kole Zépol (Fonkoze) is Haiti’s largest microfinance institution with more than 55,000 borrowers, most of whom live and work in the countryside of Haiti, and more than 255,000 savers. It operates out of 46 branches across Haiti and in every province of the country, including many towns and villages where no other banks operate. Fonkoze’s unwavering commitment to serving Haiti’s poor has driven the institution to develop its Staircase out of Poverty approach—a series of complementary programs and products designed to meet clients wherever they are and accompany them on their journey out of poverty. Fonkoze USA is a U.S. 501(c)3 organization with a mission to raise funds and awareness to support the work of Fonkoze.
Currently, Kanpe and Fonkoze maintain a vibrant partnership in the rural and isolated area of Tomond, Haiti.
See also www.fonkoze.org
See also www.kanpe.org