Empower Haitian Women builds capacity of job seekers living with disabilities

Doudly Elius, General Secretary/founder of Empower Haitian Women Organization delivering training on how to prepare an interview at BSEIPH-Presentation to 40 people with disabilities

On July 20 and 21, 2017, the Bureau of the Secretary of State to the Integration of the Disabled (BSEIPH) and Empower Haitian Women Organization (EHWO) delivered to 40 persons living with disabilities the key to become more competitive and to get ready for job research in Haitian market. The two-day seminar aimed at building the capacity of job seekers living with disabilities. It has been presented by Yves Eddy Surpris, Gilles Betide (both newly volunteers) and Doudly Elius -General Secretary and Founder of the organization, first Haitian who won the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) globally Project competition in 2014 and the Alumni Impact Award in 2016, both international competitions organized by the U.S State Department.

For two days, the BSEIPH office welcomed 40 men and women living with disabilities highly excited by the proposed topics selected to fit their needs: How to write a convincing resume, how to prepare a motivation letter, how to successfully pass a job interview, and how one can use the internet for his/her professional success.

Gilles Betide presenting how to prepare a motivation letter

Rules to follow, common mistakes to avoid… all the secrets and tips were revealed and the participants quickly understood that, for a job seeker, the first impression is crucial. For the technical aspects of the training, Gilles Betide, senior student at “Centre Technique et de Planification Appliquée” (CTPEA) and major in Administration at INAGHEI along with Yves Eddy Surpris, young entrepreneur and major in Social Work at the Faculty of Human Sciences (FASCH) - did their best to ensure the different concepts and information were well assimilated by the 40 trainees. Some participants wondered: “Why the motivation letter is considered that important?” Although it is mostly considered as an incidental document, the letter of motivation plays an essential role since it offers at first sight a short but crucial overview of your personality and skills; a well-written letter of motivation can captivate and motivate an employer to call a candidate for a job interview. "Thus, a job seeker who neglected this important piece of the candidacy papers put his/her self at risk", reminded Gilles Betide.

During those two days, a participative approach was adopted so that the attendees could well assimilate the new techniques and tricks but also to give them an opportunity to voice their fears giving that the job market in Haiti can be a true field of obstacles for people living with disabilities. Doudly Élius, who is as well suffering from a degenerative sickness and has been living with a disability since three (3) years, understood that for such training the psycho-social side would be as important as the technical aspect. "Let’s stop considering our disabilities as barriers to our success; we should focus on acquiring appropriate skills. In addition to your competencies, the techniques you are learning today and the self-confidence we wish to see you develop by the end of this seminar are tools that will help you sell yourselves in a better way on the job market", he underlined.

Empower Haitian Women Organization works for the economic empowerment of this category of the population which is most of the time neglected and rejected. Mainly composed of young Haitians and supported by volunteers from all around the world, EHWO believes that people living with disabilities can take care of themselves, have an active life and contribute to the development of their country if only they are given the opportunity and the means to reach their full potentials.

This seminar aimed at building the attendees’ capacity and supporting them in their way to social and economic empowerment. "We have the ability to make a difference in these people’s life. So, let's make it happen", concluded Doudly Élius, this young Haitian man who has been fighting for many years now for the inclusion and social justice in favor of women living with disabilities in Haiti.