For Their Family and Their Community

For Time Jean Claude and his wife Souvena, family and community mean everything.

Time and his wife first came to FINCA because they couldn’t make ends meet with their small farm in Haiti and sometimes struggled to pay for their children’s education. Without access to credit to purchase seeds in bulk, they could only produce crops in small quantities. With FINCA’s agricultural loans, however, they have been able to buy seeds in bulk and diversify their crop inventory.

Today, Time has improved his family’s lives greatly. His farm helps to pay for his five children’s school fees. He was also able to build a partial roof for his house, which he is confident he will be able to finish soon.

Watch the students at Time and Souvena’s school sing a song:

But the farm supports more than the family alone. When the deadly 2010 earthquake in Haiti destroyed schools near Time and Souvena’s farm, the community-minded couple stepped forward to open a small school. Their house and a second building on their property schools 90 children, from grades K – 2. The teachers donate a small portion of their salaries to Time and Souvena, who cook meals and snacks for the schoolchildren from the farm.

“I really love helping others and the community respects me for it,” Time says. “Because FINCA is helping me, I am now able to help my community.”