After two months of rest and relaxation in Miami, Mme. Molver Desire returned to her tiny Jacmel gift shop in the first week of July, complete with a new set of hair extensions and pictures of a new baby grandson. But there was a conspicuous absence of news from the folks at Project Zafen, the microfinance initiative she's been banking on to finance a small loan.
During their last meeting in the spring, the outlook for Mme. Desire's loan, which she initially said would use to rebuild her damaged store, was not good. She was not able to show loan officers proof that lending her money would have a community benefit – a critical element of Project Zafen's criteria. Making matters worse was the arrival of an eviction notice in the mail from her Miami-based landlord. He wanted her to move out of the store, he said, so he could repair the property.
The hunt for a new store space was cut short by Mme. Desire's trip to Miami. But now that she's back, the hunt for a new store resumes, as will her wait for word from Project Zafen. Without a loan, it's not clear whether she'll be able to keep her store open.
Top Photo: Small business owner Molver Desire, owner of Nini's Gift shop in Jacmel, Haiti, sports hair extensions and a smile after returning from a trip to Miami to see two of her children and a new grandson. (Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail)