Film 8, Day 8 of 10: Understand Haiti from the Perspective of Haitian Street Vendors

January 19, 2016

CSFilm commemorates the 6th anniversary of the Haiti earthquake by sharing Haitian voices and visions. Take less than 10 minutes a day to watch a Haitian-made film. Learn from and share Haitian perspectives.

Today, a Haitian street vendor shows us why most people are dependent on their children for old age security:

Banking on My Child, (Envesti nan Timoun) – 8:38

Director and Videographer: Jean Wilson Therrier
Sound and Production Assistants: Steeve Colin and Marie Jessy Kernizan, Editor: Jude Stanley Roy

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The proliferation of street sellers is one indicator of the dire straits of the formal economy and employment opportunities in Haiti.  As millions are left without access to basic government or banking services, they come up with all kinds of survival techniques.  To combat their exploitation by loan sharks they created the “Sol”, a uniquely Haitian revolving loan scheme.  It allows some to reach for something beyond subsistence, but for most it simply helps them to pay the loan sharks and avoid injury.

Jean Wilson Therrier has a degree in social work and has taken a particular interest in land rights which has led him to hold a number of leadership positions in land collectives. He has also worked for the Red Cross’s department of disaster management.

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