A BLOG POST BY STEPHENIE FOSTER
I am back in Haiti, getting ready to co-facilitate a conference of 100 Haitian women leaders finalizing the first ever Haitian women’s policy platform. My friend Danielle Saint Lot and Femmes en Democratie have done an amazing job gathering input from literally thousands of Haitian women and across every department (state) in Haiti. They worked extensively in the weeks leading up to this strategy conference, holding 315 focus groups across the country, to understand the issues critical to Haitian women and men in their daily lives and critical for them in building a stronger and more prosperous Haiti. This process engaged thousands of Haitians from rural and urban communities, from all walks of life and from all income levels. It has truly been a process that gathers and reflects the very real needs, hopes and dreams of Haitians for the future of their country. This work sets the stage for the adoption of a platform and action plan which will build the case for women’s participation in the reconstruction process in Haiti. I am looking forward to the outcome of the conference and of course working to implement the platform order the months and years to come.