The Haitian government is implementing a new program to reward mothers with cash who keep their children in school. Furthermore, the payments will be transferred via mobile phone, making Haiti one of the first countries to use such a system.
The program is named Ti Manman Cheri, which translates to “Dear Little Mother” and is being offered to 100,000 families in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Funding for the program is being provided by Venezuela, with $15 million dollars for the first phase. Each family enrolled in the program will receive up to $20 per month for sending their children to school.
Haitian Prime minister Laurent Lamanthe said the program was “a revolution in the country.” The initial enrollment will be for families within the poorest areas of Port-au-Prince, but the government hopes to extend the program to the rest of the country by the end of the year.
Haiti remains one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere in the wake of the 2010 earthquake that crippled the nation.
