RISE HOUSE OFFERS EDUCATION AND BUSINESS TRAINING

Our goal at Rise House is to offer education and training training to 100 people in our Haitian community ever year. We aim for a minimum of five participants per month in our business-training program, and hope to grow to our goal of 100 in a year. In 2019, we completed two offerings of our business program with a total of 10 participants in our pilot program deliveries. Our program coordinator has been delivering the curriculum in a small group setting on-site at our facility in Port Ya Prince. It is a combination of lecture style with group activities.

TRAINING TO ESCAPE POVERTY

The main focus of the entrepreneur and business training program is to assist those identified in cooperation with our safe haven operation and within our local Haitian community of Port Ya Prince that are ready to take the next step in developing their own business ideas in order to escape poverty. Individuals we have assisted in the past include a barber, small shop owner, and seamstress. We currently deliver the course on site in Port Ya Prince Haiti. Our physical space is equipped with desks, chairs, and bathroom facilities and we have been offering lunch to participants in the space as well. It is separate from the physical space used to house our Safe Haven operations.

Individuals qualify for the business training program by being unemployed with no current source of income as confirmed by our in country program administrator. Preference is given to women in our safe haven program as well as relatives of any children in our care in the safe haven.

The course is delivered by our in-country administrators who recently completed training in Haiti. The course is delivered daily over a 2-week period.

START-UP LOANS

Upon completion of our business-training program, the participants choose to present their business idea to our local team of administrators and program coordinators, and may then be offered an interest free, 12 month start-up loan of $100-200 USD.

Those successfully completing the program and qualifying for the loan report on success and challenges through monthly check ins with our administrator, and are encouraged to pay back the loan as they are able throughout the year, or in complete at 12 months. Each participant completes a questionnaire and provide us with feedback on our program so we can continue to improve our efforts supporting our community.