Stories from August 14th: Marie Marthe

Marie Marthe Pleisma lives with her family in an area known as Karfou Lendi. She is an active member of Ti Pa Ti Pa, a collective of women artisans and entrepreneurs that Locally Haiti has been proud to partner with for years. When Ti Pa Ti Pa isn’t active, she tries selling household goods in the market, house to house, and on the street.

At the time of the earthquake, Marie Marthe was at her church with two of her daughters preparing for a baptism. She ran home immediately to find her children and grandchildren all in the yard crying and afraid. Physically, they were okay.

As soon as the shaking ceased, they began to clean up the house and courtyard. They used blankets to make walls and eventually found tarps to borrow as well. Marie Marthe and her family are now living under a combination of blankets, tarps and curtains. Although their shelter is not secure, they have no choice but to wait for a better solution.

Update: Locally Haiti has provided a dedicated grant to the artisans of Ti Pa Ti Pa, and have also placed several orders with the group.