00:08When you tell people you're traveling to Haiti, that you've never been there before,
00:12that you don't speak the language, they're understandably curious and concerned.
00:18The small Caribbean country has been a poster child of tragedy in the developing world
00:23ever since an earthquake ravaged the country in January 2010.
00:27It left as many as 300,000 people dead and 1.5 million homeless.
00:33It was the single biggest natural disaster to strike the Western Hemisphere in our lifetime.
00:40We are here in Port-au-Prince with the Clinton Foundation,
00:44following Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton and her delegation as they visit businesses
00:47that are leading the way for women's entrepreneurship.
00:52Haiti is a country where 59% of people live on less than 244 a day.
00:57And one-third of girls over age six never go to school.
01:01The Clinton delegation is reviewing progress, noting problems, and searching for ways to better deliver aid to Haiti.
01:07With the No Ceilings Initiative, they're focusing on women's advancement.
01:11And Haiti has a long way to go.
01:14Haiti, unfortunately, is a place where we know a lot about some areas,
01:17like maternal mortality, where Haiti has done a really tremendous job in improving maternal mortality.
01:23Or things where there's public data, like around who has a bank account or who doesn't have a bank account.
01:29But there's still a lot that we don't know because so many women here work in the informal sector.
01:34And there's not good ways to track that.
01:37So much has been rebuilt since the earthquake.
01:40But now the work that needs to be done is much harder.
01:43How do you combat political instability, cholera, homelessness, unemployment, illiteracy, and infant mortality?
01:51Very slowly.
01:53Especially for women, social change is a feat.
01:57Women are called potomiten in Haiti, which are the pillars of society.
02:02So these women are the ones that are looked at to provide for their families.
02:06How do you create an environment where these women can prosper and grow,
02:10and their children can be afforded a better life?
02:14This is Caribbean craft, where more than 400 people are employed making traditional paper mache crafts
02:20that end up in U.S. stores like West Elm and Dwell Studio.
02:24Magalie and Joel Dressa, who run Caribbean Craft, made hiring women a priority from the start.
02:30Magalie was given this opportunity to take over a bankrupt company,
02:35and she completely kind of reimagined it.
02:38She helped Caribbean Craft move into the American market,
02:41and as opportunities really grew for Caribbean Craft,
02:44she really focused on expanding opportunities for women,
02:47particularly after the earthquake and for women who were truly living just across the road in a tent city.
02:52It wasn't only about having a job, but it was also about ensuring that women learn to read,
02:57that women learn to write.
02:58When they have educated, healthy employees, that's good for their bottom line,
03:03as well as good for their employees' livelihoods and lives.
03:07And over at Papillon, owner Shelly Clay provides services like babysitting,
03:11that allow women to spend a whole day at work and not worry about taking care of their families.
03:16One of the things about a poverty culture is that people have a hard time seeing the future.
03:20They want to work for today only and see what they can get today.
03:23So just kind of telling them, you know, your kids are growing up,
03:26and I want for some day that they're the managers here.
03:30Increasingly, we're aware in the United States and around the world of our powers as consumers.
03:34Our consumer decisions affect so much more than just our appearance.
03:39I can help support a woman who is breaking so many ceilings in Haiti
03:43by buying this Christmas ornament instead of that Christmas ornament.
03:51Haiti, they say, is hell in paradise.
03:54And to some extent that's true.
03:58It's a country of extreme wealth nestled in extreme poverty.
04:03The traffic would make my mom swoon in terror.
04:06Trash birds in the street, broken bottles laced at the top of walls,
04:10shacks and lean-tos compete for space.
04:13But it's also beautiful.
04:18Port-au-Prince is a feast for the eyes.
04:22There are bright colors, sacred spaces, and wares of all kinds for sale on the sidewalk.
04:28There's a thriving craft industry here.
04:31People laugh, they flirt, they make music, and life goes on.
04:37There's strength and there's vulnerability.
04:39There's joy, there's sadness in these women, but they do their best.
04:43And it's always a focus on just making it better for the next generation,
04:47even if it's tough for them.
04:48I think there is such a case for optimism about Haiti,
04:52and also really about what women can do when we're truly unfettered.
04:59There's time and here, there's more about Haiti.
05:01I first full reading forc Anna Annette
