In quiet times during the day, Haitian streets and sidewalks are feminine spaces; they are occupied by « Marchande » and other resellers from the informal sector, mobile or stationary, 80% of them are women. The street is the first workspace for these women.
Since the start of the crisis in July 2018, the livelihood of these women has been exponentially affected. During these times of crisis, women face serious economic difficulties with repercussions on the entire family. They can neither display their goods nor walk around to sell them. Those with small businesses are the first victims. Vendors of vegetables and fruits, and other perishable products complain of losing their products during this period, as people cannot go out to buy supplies. It is reported that 60% of them went bankrupt in the past 3 years, and more will in the coming years.
In our quest to generate and catalyze impact in the community, we have noted some challenges that we aim to adjust our interventions and address with our participant community.
Common Challenges for MSMEs
Prerequisites | Cost | Accessibility | Financial institution | Social Norms |
Phone / SIM ownership | Cost of using DFS
(incl. transaction cost) | Basic digital, financial, general literacy and numeracy, not knowing how to read | Reliability (and quality) of in-person services | Biases that center men as financial customers.Expectation that men control finances |
Internet / mobile connectivity
not available in all regions | Non-transparent fee structures / hidden costs | Unclear or unavailable info about financial products / uses | Reliability of payments system and network | Perception that men are smarter than women when it comes to learning new skills. |
Lack of credit history
(for credit products only) | Perceived and/or lack of money, bank account are for those who have a lot of money. | Unclear or difficult process to open account | Navigability of user interface of the digital product | Ambivalence or antagonism towards women’s financial independence |
Digital ID
not knowing ow to use common digital solutions ex: email | Lack of peers/family/network who use financial institutions | Bank Agents perceived as potential scammers, and/or fear of making mistakes | Women’s disproportionate performance of unpaid care work | |
Proof of identity and address requirements
| Distance from financial service place of business. Mobility constraints (security related) | Difficulty resolving complaints | Lack of female agent and executives, women leadership in bank / Credit Union |