One of the core objectives guiding our work at UNIR-Haiti is to build bridges. Not only through our Spanish language learning spaces, but also by creating conditions that allow Haitian social organizations and women to bring their voices to spaces across Abya Yala.
In recent years, we have participated in and promoted various gatherings. However, migration policies, difficulties in obtaining visas, and airport closures have severely limited the ability of Haitians to be present in these spaces. These barriers are not only administrative; they are also a form of isolation that keeps Haiti on the margins of the spaces where regional dialogue is built.
This February, UNIR-Haiti participated in the International Gathering “Floreceremos” (“We Will Bloom”, in English), held in Bogotá and organized by the Red de Mujeres Tejiendo Futuro. Over five days, around 500 women from different territories came together to discuss the defense of life and territory. This space allowed us to share Haiti’s reality, strengthen relationships, and reaffirm the importance of Haitian voices being present in regional spaces where collective alternatives are being built.
At this gathering, UNIR-Haiti and Vanesa Jeudi shared reflections built collectively with many other women in Haiti. Vanesa chose to introduce herself in Haitian Creole, affirming it as a language of resistance—a language born to organize, resist, and affirm the dignity of a people. The fundamental role of the Madan Sara was also highlighted: women traders who sustain the country’s everyday economy and ensure the circulation of food, despite violence, precarity, and the absence of institutional recognition.
Haiti’s presence in these spaces is essential. Not only to make visible the realities we live, but also to strengthen alliances, share knowledge, and build collective alternatives. Our experiences, resistance, and proposals are an essential part of the broader struggles taking place across Abya Yala.
We will continue working to ensure that Haitian voices are present, circulate, and are heard.
Translated by Eduardo Aguilar
