The Work of SOFA in Post-Hurricane Haiti

Mernie is 53 and has three sons aged 20, 26 and 30. Through our support of Action Aid, valuable work has been done following the devastating Hurricane Matthew.

This is part of an interview with Marnie:

• What are the main issues facing women following Hurricane Matthew? The first one is hunger. Also there are economic issues, as many women have lost almost everything. And there is the issue of shelter. Even if not everyone has lost their house in the community, some people are still living in tents and under tarpaulin and the community still feels it.

• Do you feel that you live in a strong community then? I am a member of SOFA (Solidarite Fanm Ayisyèn, a national feminist organisation and a local partner of ActionAid in the response). Within this organisation, there is a sense of togetherness. We are sisters, we can get help together, and cooperate.

• What work do you do with SOFA in your community? We have worked together on awareness, decreasing the number of people who take liberties against women. Now everyone knows that if you try anything, there is a group of women that will come together against you. We used to raise awareness in schools, through SOFA and other organisations. I led some of these trainings. After Hurricane Matthew, protection trainings have restarted in communities via ActionAid, so I hope stronger awareness will come again.

PHOTO CREDIT: ACTION AID