SALT MICROFINANCE
Gang warfare, kidnappings, political corruption, and high inflation dominate news headlines from Haiti. One wonders if the situation can get worse as even more horrific reports continue to come through. Most of this evil activity is centered around the capital city, Port-Au-Prince, and surrounding communities. In the midst of this dark time for Haiti, it is encouraging to know that SALT Savings Group members and SALT Agri-Plus farmers continue to carry on resiliently. At the end of the first quarter of 2025, there were 846 SALT Savings Groups and 44,546 savings group members in Haiti.
Elashe joined a SALT Savings Group three years ago. Some time before she joined the group, she had a small business that failed due to a lack of capital to cover unexpected expenses.
Using a loan from her savings group, she purchased rice, oil, and other food products to start a small store. With the income from her store, she was able to help her children buy tickets to move to the United States.
Earlier this year, Elashe took out a loan from her savings group to purchase a refrigerator and a solar panel system to power it. With this equipment, she can sell cold drinks, and her business is thriving. She expects to fully repay her loan by July. Elashe hopes to continue expanding her business. Her next goal is to expand her store to include clothing.
“I don’t want to stop,” says Elashe. “Through [the savings group], I’ll go farther still. A lot of thanks to you [supporters], and may God continue to be your companion.”
Many savings group members like Elashe, who operate small stores, depend on wholesale merchants in Port-au-Prince for their wares. Despite the danger of shootings and robbery, they press on for the sake of their families and communities.
One man in Elashe’s savings group said, “[SALT] helps us advance financially and spiritually and helps us get along together. Without the existence of this savings group, it would be difficult to do what we are doing. This is a country that’s difficult, and there are not a lot of possibilities. We want to use [SALT] to help conditions in our country.”
