Fanfare

Another Sunday afternoon in Limonad, another fanfare parade. This time, the celebration was for fête des mères - mother's day - which is a big event in Haiti.

Celebrating mother's day with cola and sandwiches at a party in the baptist church in Limonad.

The last few weeks have also been the season for children from Roman Catholic families to take their first communion - another occasion for dressing up and throwing a party. Strangely, when you are invited to a "communion" in Haiti, they are talking about the party, not the church service. I have found myself acting as official photographer at several of these events. Here Nana, aged 11, is cutting the cake while her mother and sister look on.

This is what is known in Creole as a pakèt ti moun: a "packet" (a whole load) of children. This photo was not posed - the crowd just gathered and stared at me in silence while I chatted with a friend after the parade. This photo may give you some idea of how conspicuous I feel being white in this country!

Postcards from the Caribbean

A few photos which have cheered me up during a difficult couple of weeks.

The sun catching on a desert rose, in the garden at my house in Port-au-Prince.

Children in Akil Samdi.

Spices in the market in Fòlibète. The reason that you do not see many pictures of people on this website is that most Haitian people either fear photographs, or feel genuine anger against foreigners wanting to take photographs of their country. The market-woman who was selling these goods caught me in the act of taking this picture, and berated me that it was peche (sin) to do it.

Late-afternoon sun at Boutilliers, on the mountain which overlooks Port-au-Prince - a place I like to escape to for fresh air every now and then. This would be one of my favourite photos, except that I cannot take the credit for it myself: it was taken by a friend who is much more artistic than me.

Microeconomics

This is for people who have asked me to explain what it is I am doing in Haiti. I work for Fonkoze, a microfinance institution. In principle, Fonkoze is just like any other bank, providing credit, savings and other financial services - but the difference is that Fonkoze's services are targeted at helping poor people in rural areas.

Fonkoze's credit clients are mostly market women (or ti machann, little merchants), who use small loans from Fonkoze to buy stock for their businesses. As they progress through the Fonkoze program, they become entitled to progressively larger loans, allowing them to build up their businesses and improve their economic security.

Credit clients meet twice a month in credit centres, to make reimbursements, discuss problems, or take advantage of Fonkoze's literacy program. This centre meeting is taking place under a mango tree in Bedann.

Elusnie serving Mme Dateus at the Fonkoze branch in Fòlibète.

My own work is in trying to assess the impact which Fonkoze is having on the lives of its clients. At this focus group in Akil Samdi, Rosenie (on the left, in black) is listening to clients' ideas of how we can improve our services.

The Fonkoze branch in Twoudinò.

Fonkoze really does take financial services to the customer. Here, Honoré, a Fonkoze credit agent (on the left), is taking a deposit from a customer at his school in Ferye, a small town with no bank branch of its own.

Painting the publicity boards for a new Fonkoze branch.