Pennywise Foundation Grant Helps Support SOIL Families

As readers of our blog know, SOIL relies on our dedicated team of 70+ staff members living in and around Cap-Haitien to operate our sanitation and waste treatment services. Their commitment to supporting their communities and ensuring reliable access to essential services is inspiring, and we are so grateful for their tireless efforts. During these challenging times in Haiti, we aim to support our staff and buffer against the ongoing economic instability that, for the past several years, has put tremendous financial pressure on families and individuals country-wide. Increasing food costs and skyrocketing inflation (which hit an all time high of 40% this year) has made it difficult for many Haitian families to make ends meet. In Haiti, educating children is an expense that falls on families. Most schools are privately run and require tuition fees.  It can be difficult for many Haitians to send their children to school because of this heavy economic burden, compounded by additional and required school expenses like the cost of transport, books, and mandatory uniforms.

Because of the generosity of our partner Pennywise Foundation, for the past two years SOIL has been able to provide financial support to SOIL staff’s families and pay for school fees.  The impact on our staff members has been immediate and profound. Some members of our team shared their thoughts and feelings about the impact of this additional financial support and this is what they said: 

"As SOIL’s Human Resources Director, I had the chance to observe the impact that the school support from Pennywise had on the SOIL team. When we announced it at the staff meeting we received the largest applause ever. The team has such deep gratitude to Pennywise for thinking of them. So many of our staff are responsible for multiple children and this donation made such a significant difference for them. Some staff were not sure they would be able to pay to send all of their children to school this year without having to make difficult sacrifices, others were able to use the funds for school supplies and uniforms which otherwise would have been out of reach. Since the donation was made, many staff have asked me to pass on their appreciation.

The school support has not just helped their families but also encouraged them professionally. Knowing that the organization and our broader network of supporters, in particular Pennywise, values their work and understands the challenges they are facing has resulted in improved morale and productivity. Thank you for sharing your love and support with the SOIL family.” ~Wisner Jean Louis

• “Working with SOIL has made a real impact on my personal life because before this job I never had steady work. SOIL has brought stability to my professional life by providing a steady salary. Working at SOIL has also allowed me to expand my knowledge and I have learned a lot since joining.”  ~Junior Bonhomme

• “SOIL has made a huge difference in my personal life by allowing me to respond to the needs of my family.” ~Adeline Normeus

• “SOIL has made an impact on my personal life by helping me to respond to the day to day needs of my family though I still struggle to finance larger projects.” ~Andre Vedrine

We are so grateful for partnerships of shared values, like the one SOIL has with Pennywise that supports community driven initiatives, allowing us to continue to do the work we do to provide essential sanitation access to vulnerable communities in Haiti.