By Anne Larrass and Mildrède Béliard, CARE Haiti
They were sitting on wooden chairs beneath two large mango trees next to a little banana plantation: a group of 35 women and 10 men. On the agenda: a discussion about the opening of the first of 15 women’s centres in Léogâne, a town west of Port-au-Prince, close to the epicenter of the Jan. 12 earthquake.
“Unfortunately, it’s a reality in Haiti that women are disadvantaged,” says Dr. Franck Geneus, director of CARE Haiti’s health programming. “If we don’t focus on women now and take their needs into consideration, they will be forgotten.”
Wearing colourful dresses, make-up, earrings, and pressed shirts, the crowd of girls, women and men listened attentively while the CARE team of three explained the services this centre would offer to women and girls:
Education on sexual behaviour, sexually transmitted infections, reproductive health, and family planning; referral services for women in need of professional treatment and care; birth assistance kits; basic necessities for newborns; condoms; first aid treatments for small injuries such cuts; activities planned by the committee managing the centre; and other services.
“They’ve been waiting for this centre for a long time now,” says Carline Morney, a CARE nurse. “I hope from the bottom of my heart that the centre will help them adopt responsible sexual practices. There are too many taboos in this country, and that has to change.”
CARE plans to set up 15 women’s centres in Léogâne and five in Carrefour – two of the most heavily hit regions and where CARE has concentrated its activities. Using a unique approach, CARE invites community members and committees to provide land and, if possible, the facility for the centres. Giving communities ownership over these centres will ensure accountability, pride, maximum participation, and most importantly, longevity.
“If we manage to open this centre, the community will really benefit from it,” says 40-year-old Perpétuelle, newly graduated with a law degree and one of the participants in the meeting. “There exists little equality between men and women in Haiti. Men make most of the decisions, and women simply accept them. A place like the women’s centre will give us the space to express ourselves, to feel safe, and ultimately, this will have a positive effect on our families.”
“Is this not discrimination against men?” ask two of the male participants. “What do we get out of this?“ A moment of silence follows this unexpected question before a young woman finally says out loud, “You will have happier and more emancipated wives!,” a response that elicits giggles among the crowd. “Women don’t have places to go to play cards and drink, like we men do,” adds Elie, a well-respected Voodoo priest, after the giggling dies down. “This is why we need this type of centre. Our role could be to assure the safety of these women in case abusive husbands or aggressors follow their victims to the centre.”
While these centres will focus primarily on women, the space offers education to men as well, particularly with regards to family planning, sexual behaviour, and treatment of women. They will also be involved in planning activities for families and young children and coming up with ideas for future programs and education sessions.
The next step before the crowd dissipates? Help CARE find potential sites in their neighbourhood on which the centre could be set up. A follow-up meeting will serve to identify volunteers within the community and local committees who will help set up the centre and prepare it in time for its official opening before the end of April.
“I think this will give a lot to the community,” Carline tells us at the end of the meeting. “I want to help women, that is what I feel passionate about. We will succeed one step at a time.”