Jacmel hosts its first forum on the social and solidarity economy at the initiative of the Rotaract Club of Jacmel.

The Rotaract Club of Jacmel organised, on Sunday 9 November 2025, the very first forum on the social and solidarity economy (SSE) at the town hall of the city, around the theme: "Local development and SSE: transforming solidarity into an economic engine".

This initiative, led by the club's Community Action committee, brought together more than sixty participants from diverse backgrounds: young entrepreneurs, community organization leaders, students, representatives of public and private institutions, as well as several local development actors.

The objective of this forum, according to the head of the community action commission (2025-2026) within the Rotaract Club of Jacmel, Maxon Michel, was to promote an economic model that takes into account our reality.

"In a context where many young people and local businesses are looking for innovative models to grow, this theme allows us to emphasize the values of solidarity, resource sharing and integrated local development as real tools to rethink how we build collective wealth," Maxon Michel told the club's communications team.

This forum was marked by interventions from experts and professionals in the field, including Dr. Bernard Taillefer, former director of the People's Banks of Rwanda, economist Roc Élie, Roobens Louis, founder of " Ann Kreye" , Nathalie Cadet, vice-president of the Caisse Populaire Espoir (CPE), Gabrielle Aurel, founder and president of " Sonje Ayiti Organization" , Nonais Dérisier, specialist in microfinance and cooperative development, as well as Wud Rabel, economist and Past-President of the Rotaract Club of Jacmel.

Part of the audience

Presentation by microfinance and cooperative development specialist, Nonais Dérisier.

The director of the Popular Banks of Rwanda, Dr. Bernard Taillefer.

The day concluded on a note of commitment, leaving participants with a strong sense of dedication and enthusiasm for promoting the social and solidarity economy within the community. Participants commended the Rotaract Club of Jacmel for initiating a unique forum for reflection on such a crucial topic for the country's development.

“What motivated me to participate in this forum is that the social and solidarity economy is one of the pillars that supports many communities in Haiti.” “It was enriching to see that each young person could acquire knowledge about this economic model,” testifies Jérémie K. Castel, one of the participants, who hopes that the Rotaract Club of Jacmel will bring together young leaders who share this vision, in order to promote this type of economy within Jacmel society.

" I am very happy to have participated, because this forum allowed us to broaden our knowledge and gain experience ," says Widline Antoine, another participant.

This forum would not have been such a success without the support of our partners: the Rotary Club of Jacmel, CFAC, Nephy Take Out and Café Lux, who contributed greatly to the success of the event and to the promotion of the social and solidarity economy in the region.

Darlou Alexandre

Communicator - Social Media Manager

darloupithalpha@gmail.com

(509) 41294765 / 31739302