Day 12:
This is Rosianie. Each day, she carries her sewing machine outside. This gives her space so she can sew where there is natural light. Her tiny one room house with a tin roof is enclosed with minimal natural light making sewing difficult, because there is also no electricity.
In addition, she hauls out a large box of miscellaneous used clothes she has purchased to resell. These clothes, sold in bundles of unknown content, are cast-offs from US thrift stores. She purchases a bundle and places them out to sell while she is sewing! We are proud of her for her multi-tasking and entrepreneurial efforts!
This type of sales (almost like a perpetual garage sale) are common all along the streets. Some have clothes, others sell miscellaneous kitchen utensils, still others have an assortment of tools. With a 70% unemployment rate in Haiti, many people attempt to buy such bundles and re-sell them. Very few people have an income they can rely upon. They may sell fruit or vegetables on the street, praying that it sells so they can make a few Gourde (The Gourde is the Haitian currency) to pay for personal needs, but often do not consider the need to hold back cash to re-invest in buying more murchandise and thus they cannot continue.. With minimal or no education, very basic business skills are lacking, and often they will even sell their items at a loss, just to “have a sale” - not really understanding the costs involved supersede the price they sold the item for. When they do not have enough money to continue business the next day, they don't attribute that to poor business skills, but “lack of business” thinking if they had only sold more, then they would have more money.
Today's Challenge: As you rise on this Monday morning, and you are gearing up for a new work week, wishing it was still the weekend, we encourage you to just take a moment to be thankful for your employment.
Consider your work space.. Think about the physical area and accommodations (furniture, utensils, tools, machines, electronics, etc..) that enable you to do your job. Imagine doing your job without some of those accommodations.
We also encourage you to be thankful for the regularity of a paycheck, and the assurance that it will come. If you have your own business or have ever made an investment of such, think about the graces of being able to take out a loan to help you get started and keep afloat when times are difficult.
Take a moment to imagine the weeks leading up to Christmas and not knowing if you will have any money to buy food to prepare a Christmas meal for your family or to buy a small gift for your child. This is not intended to create a false sympathy for others, but to encourage us to be grateful as we start a new week. To put aside the begrudging Monday morning blues, and put on a spirit of joy as we kick off this new week!
And thank you for being a part of the CYCLE of Peace that helps us to give our employees regular income that they can depend on! Your support and encouragement and purchases truly make a difference!
This is Rosianie. Each day, she carries her sewing machine outside. This gives her space so she can sew where there is natural light. Her tiny one room house with a tin roof is enclosed with minimal natural light making sewing difficult, because there is also no electricity.
In addition, she hauls out a large box of miscellaneous used clothes she has purchased to resell. These clothes, sold in bundles of unknown content, are cast-offs from US thrift stores. She purchases a bundle and places them out to sell while she is sewing! We are proud of her for her multi-tasking and entrepreneurial efforts!
This type of sales (almost like a perpetual garage sale) are common all along the streets. Some have clothes, others sell miscellaneous kitchen utensils, still others have an assortment of tools. With a 70% unemployment rate in Haiti, many people attempt to buy such bundles and re-sell them. Very few people have an income they can rely upon. They may sell fruit or vegetables on the street, praying that it sells so they can make a few Gourde (The Gourde is the Haitian currency) to pay for personal needs, but often do not consider the need to hold back cash to re-invest in buying more murchandise and thus they cannot continue.. With minimal or no education, very basic business skills are lacking, and often they will even sell their items at a loss, just to “have a sale” - not really understanding the costs involved supersede the price they sold the item for. When they do not have enough money to continue business the next day, they don't attribute that to poor business skills, but “lack of business” thinking if they had only sold more, then they would have more money.
Today's Challenge: As you rise on this Monday morning, and you are gearing up for a new work week, wishing it was still the weekend, we encourage you to just take a moment to be thankful for your employment.
Consider your work space.. Think about the physical area and accommodations (furniture, utensils, tools, machines, electronics, etc..) that enable you to do your job. Imagine doing your job without some of those accommodations.
We also encourage you to be thankful for the regularity of a paycheck, and the assurance that it will come. If you have your own business or have ever made an investment of such, think about the graces of being able to take out a loan to help you get started and keep afloat when times are difficult.
Take a moment to imagine the weeks leading up to Christmas and not knowing if you will have any money to buy food to prepare a Christmas meal for your family or to buy a small gift for your child. This is not intended to create a false sympathy for others, but to encourage us to be grateful as we start a new week. To put aside the begrudging Monday morning blues, and put on a spirit of joy as we kick off this new week!
And thank you for being a part of the CYCLE of Peace that helps us to give our employees regular income that they can depend on! Your support and encouragement and purchases truly make a difference!
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