DePaul University is collaborating on a microfinance program designed to increase investment in the country’s economy, DePaul Magazine writer Ruhan Memishi reports. Working with Vincentian organizations worldwide, DePaul hopes to lay the foundation to “give Haitians seed money to create and develop small businesses that will make a big difference.”

The program, called Zafen, is set to launch in April. Zafen means “our business” in Haitian Creole.

Vincentians are members of a Roman Catholic community inspired by the life and work of St. Vincent DePaul, a 17th century French priest who spent his life working among the poorest of the poor. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and the seventh poorest in the world.

“DePaul, the Haitian Diaspora (Haitians and Haitian descendants who live outside Haiti) and Fonkoze, Haiti’s alternative bank for those who are not served well by traditional banks, all are playing key roles in the effort,” Memishi reports.

Fonkoze is the most successful microfinance institution in Haiti and is closely aligned with the values of St. Vincent, according to Laura Hartman, Vincent de Paul Professor of Business Ethics, who is spearheading DePaul’s role in the initiative.

The project is designed to increase investment in the Haitian economy and create jobs by building an Internet pathway between the international Vincentian family and the Haitian Diaspora. Hartman says businesses and projects that hold the best promise for bolstering Haiti’s economy will receive funds generated through donations.

The Internet pathway is a Web site that offers online tools for people to contribute money to specific sustainable projects, Hartman explains. The site also will provide Haitian entrepreneurs online access to funding, allowing them to overcome challenges posed by illiteracy, language barriers and access to technology. All projects, no matter their size, will be reviewed by a steering committee before being posted on the Web site.

A team from DePaul’s College of Computing and Digital Media designed and built the site. Dean David Miller and Associate Dean Martin Kalin wrote the code that built the site from scratch, and CDM faculty and students are testing it.

The site will be fully functioning in April. In the meantime, those interested in contributing to the program can find out how to do so now at zafen.org.