Summary

“There is not enough room for us to sleep. The house is very small, and it is close to a stinky ravine. The house leaks. At night, when it is raining, we have to wake up and stand up. I eat by chance. Once a day, four times a week. If I don’t find anybody that is willing to share his or food with me, my house spends the day with no food.” Marie Cherlyne Bercy

Household

“I was born on July 7, 1986 in Port au Prince. I am 22 years old. I have been living in Cite Soleil since my childhood. I have two children.
Jimmy Bercy, the first one, was born on April 18, 2000. He is 8 years old. His father has abandoned me since he was born, saying that Jimmy was not his son. Jimmy’s father died 3 years ago.
Yvena Rene, the second one, was born on December 30, 2007. She is 6 months old. The children haven’t gone to school yet.
My mother is still alive. She lives in Soleil 10. She sells water. My father died 4 years ago. I have two brothers and seven sisters. None of them is working. The father of my daughter is not working. By chance, when he has money he gives me some, about $ 30 Ht [US $4.28] per week. He and I are not living together. He is living with his wife and I am living with my brothers and sisters.

Living conditions

General economic situation
I used to sell pepper, watercress, and lemon. But I haven’t been doing any work for 3 years. I used to do this business every day except on Sunday. In my opinion, this kind of business was lucrative. I love to sell but the problem is now and then when I go back home, I am obliged to feed the whole house. I mean my two brothers, my 7 sisters, 2 children and me. That is one of the causes of my bankruptcy. I had been doing this kind of business since I was 18 years of age. I believe that this business can help me improve my living, but sometimes I almost don’t sell anything and I have to eat, and pay for the tap-tap [communal taxi]. These things affect the business when I don’t sell enough.
Job opportunities
I don’t really have any other options to make a living because there aren’t many things that I can do. Sometimes, I am obliged to go from door to door to ask my neighborhoods to let me do the laundry, so that I can find some money from them. Sometimes, after having washed clothes from three or four houses, I can earn $20 Ht [US $2.85]. I live in a room for which I pay $50 Ht [US $7.15] per month. There is not enough room for us to sleep. The house is very small, and it is close to a stinky ravine. There are a lot of Mosquitoes that bite us, and we, sometimes get sick as a consequence of that. The house leaks. At night, when it is raining, we have to wake up and stand up. To remedy this problem, I put plastic under the leaking roof. However, that is not a good solution because the plastic is torn after awhile. I don’t have a safe place to put garbage. We throw our garbage in the ravine. I don’t have any latrine. When we need to defecate, I defecate next to the sea. There are a lot of rats, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and centipedes.
Education
I used to go to school, but I stopped when I was in kindergarten. So, I dont know either how to read or write. I don’t even have any profession.
Health and food
I feel sick, but I don’t go to the Hospital to find out why, because I can’t. My mother was supposed to suffer an operation in her eyes.  Everybody in this neighborhood is sick because the neighborhood is dirty. They all have fever, cold, headache. I eat by chance. Once a day, four times a week. Sometimes, my neighbors gives me something to eat when they have. If I don’t find anybody that is willing to share his or food with me, my house spends the day with no food.

Community information

There is a cistern of water, but I don’t find water everyday in it. When there is water, I can buy a bucket for 3 gourdes [US $8 cents]. When there is no water in the cistern, I buy a bucket for 7 gourdes.
Health care situation
There is a hospital, Sante Catrine. There is another one named Chapi. .It costs $20ht [$2.85 US] to see a doctor. It is 20 minutes walking. I would like to send my sick children to see a doctor, but I can’t. Because I can’t pay.
Education system and opportunities
There is a school nearby<>. The entrance fee is 250 gourdes [$6.75] and the tuition per year is $230ht [US $33]. There is no school for adults.
Legal political;
We are safe here. We don’t have problems with anybody.
Economic situation of the community
There is a market 3 miles away. There is a church nearby I can go every Sunday to worship God.

Personal qualities and Dreams

“I am really special. I like to laugh. I am honest, reasonable, and sensitive; I share my things, specially money, and my food with my neighborhood. I have a lot of good qualities, and of course I have some bad qualities too. I’d like to improve a lot of things in my life. Especially the things that are considered as stumbling blocks in my life.
Religion is very important to me. It urges me to think about my life. It has given me courage in order to face my situation. It has taught me to love, to share and to better understand my brothers and sisters. Anybody who is interested in helping should know that I am a person who will accept very much his or her help. No matter how little it might be.
Dreams
I would like to go back to school, and learn something like sewing that can help me in the future to have the ability to earn money. And to train how to make business, because I don’t want to take defeat in doing business. I would like to send Jimmy my son to school, and send him to learn string music, like flute. I’d like to have a latrine to put garbage and fix my house. I want to have my own house, and bigger than that I rent.
I can achieve my dreams by help, because for me, I will never achieve my dreams, because of money. Frankly I don’t like Cite Soleil; if I could I would leave. When I will have my opportunities, I will move to another zone [in Port-au-Prince], maybe Delmas or Carrefour.

Life Plan

“I am really special. I like to laugh. I am honest, reasonable, and sensitive; I share my things, specially money, and my food with my neighborhood. I have a lot of good qualities, and of course I have some bad qualities too. I’d like to improve a lot of things in my life. Especially the things that are considered as stumbling blocks in my life.
Religion is very important to me. It urges me to think about my life. It has given me courage in order to face my situation. It has taught me to love, to share and to better understand my brothers and sisters. Anybody who is interested in helping should know that I am a person who will accept very much his or her help. No matter how little it might be.
Dreams
I would like to go back to school, and learn something like sewing that can help me in the future to have the ability to earn money. And to train how to make business, because I don’t want to take defeat in doing business. I would like to send Jimmy my son to school, and send him to learn string music, like flute. I’d like to have a latrine to put garbage and fix my house. I want to have my own house, and bigger than that I rent.
I can achieve my dreams by help, because for me, I will never achieve my dreams, because of money. Frankly I don’t like Cite Soleil; if I could I would leave. When I will have my opportunities, I will move to another zone [in Port-au-Prince], maybe Delmas or Carrefour.

Sponsorship plan

IMMEDIATE NEEDS
Food
Possibility for a latrine
Fix the house
DEVELOPMENT
Send the mother to school
Send Jimmy the son to school
Give the mother a small business
DREAMS
She would like to have a better house in other zone Delmas or Carrefour.
She’d like to know a lot about business, then she want to learn business.
She’d like to have a food store of alimentary.