Published Sat, Feb 15, 25.
Written by Rebecca Honorat.
Family Day 2025
Family Day is such a fun holiday to celebrate! There are no presents to buy or big events to prepare for, just some intentional time to slow down and spend quality time with those in your inner circle.
This weekend our family will be reimagining the corner of our house that we do homeschooling in, cooking a fun meal together, watching the next Star Wars movie (we've been watching the series with the kids for the first time), and playing some heated games of canasta! We may also go skating with our church on Sunday. While I grew up playing hockey & ringette, Renel has never been skating and Hasannah & Jelani have only done it a few times... should be interesting!
Our Alongside family is taking some time this weekend to get excited about some new Small Business Loans that are in the works and we hope you will join us by reading through the BIOs below.
Wouldn't it be great if we could end off this Family Day weekend by being able to issue these loans!
Solar Power - Jean Claudelson (aka Lembe) - $4,000
Jean Claudelson, and his wife Louisena, live in Grand Goave with their two young children (1 and 5 years old). Jean Claudelson is well known, and well liked, in his community and he is affectionately known by his nickname, Lembe.
After Lembe graduated high school he went to a local trade school and became an electrician. He had already been apprenticing with an electrician for years and he excelled in his program. Lembe has been an electrician for six years and is well respected by those who have hired him. He now has a small business where he patiently gives experience to high school students who are considering the career.
Lembe spends a lot of his time installing electrical wires in new homes or running wires in old homes where the owners would like to start using electricity. He is also purchasing/reselling solar panels and installing and maintaining solar systems. Lembe has asked Alongside for a loan so that he can purchase solar panels in larger quantities (to decease his costs) and so that he can stock parts that his clients regularly need during maintenance.
Lembe has built a solid foundation for his small business already and we are honoured to be able to walk alongside him as he expands it.
Motorcycle Tap-Tap - Jean Bernard - $2000
Jean Bernard grew up with his mom in Grand Goave. He knows his dad but his dad wasn’t active in his life, as he was married and had a large family with his wife (Jean Bernard’s step mother). Jean Bernard was very close to his mom and fondly tells stories of how she taught him to cook & wash clothes… not something most boys learn to do in Haiti. When he was in grade 9 his mom passed away and he immediately dropped out of school and moved in with his neighbor. He was always a hard worker but after that he became determined to take care of himself and to make his mom proud.
He started riding a motorcycle over 15 years ago and his habit of driving fast earned him the nickname “Rad Mare” (Kreyol for tidal wave) among his peers.
Jean Bernard was one of the first people to receive a loan from Alongside in 2020. Over the years he has driven for many motorcycle owners but had struggled to grow a business of his own because most of the profit went to the motorcycle owner. With his loan, he purchased a motorcycle and was his own boss. Jean Bernard paid off the loan within a year. He ran his own business for 3 years and was able to upgrade his motorcycle twice. When he was able to get his drivers license, he sold his motorcycle and began driving a pickup truck tap-tap on a set route for an acquaintance. He enjoyed driving the truck but missed the flexibility of being his own boss. When the owner sold the truck Jean Bernard decided to approach Alongside for another loan.
Jean Bernard is in a much better position than he was in 2020 and we know that he will quickly build up his clientele once he has his own motorcycle again.
