HAITI / SMALL BUSINESSES

Haiti's small and medium businesses represent an estimated 80 percent of all employment in the country. A World Bank program is working to support these businesses and help them expand, as part of the reconstruction efforts underway in the country almost a year after the devastating earthquake. WORLD BANK

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:59
• Production Date: 4 January 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: WORLD BANK
• Subject Topical: DEVELOPMENT; INVESTMENT BANKING; FINANCIAL SITUATION; ECONOMICS
• Geographic Subject: HAITI
• MAMS Id: U110104e

Description

STORY: HAITI / SMALL BUSINESSES
TRT: 1:47
SOURCE: WORLD BANK
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS

DATELINE: NOVEMBER 2010, PORT AU PRINCE

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, Charline walking up and behind counter
2. Wide shot, people waiting to transfer money
3. Med shot, Charline working behind counter
4. Close up, shoulder shot and zoom out on Charline
5. Wide shot, back shot of her working
6. SOUNDBITE (French) Charline Dubuisson, Business Owner:
“We took training in customer service which is a key point in business. There were details I didn’t know before the training, which taught me marketing and how to manage personnel.”
7. Med shot, Charline walking through her store and going behind counter
8. Wide shot, Charline with staff
9. Wide shot, Charline walking through store
10. SOUNDBITE (French) Charline Dubuisson, Business Owner:
“We used to do only money transfers until through the training I learned to diversify, using the same space, which gives us more revenue.”
11. Wide shot, Charline walking down stairs and meeting the trainers
12. Wide shot, Charline and trainers
13. Wide shot, and zoom in on Clesca walking through the gas station and talking to an employee
14. SOUNDBITE (French) Harry Clesca, Business Owner:
“I take marketing and personnel management training, and my employees take courses in customer service and group leadership.”
15. Wide shot, gas station
16. Med shot, Clesca walking in gas station and talking to employees

Storyline

Its midday rush at this money transfer office in Port au Prince.

Since the earthquake last year, the amount of transfers and clients has greatly increased, says owner Charline Dubuisson. Having good customer service skills is a must.

SOUNDBITE (French) Charline Dubuisson, Business Owner:
“We took training in customer service which is a key point in business. There were details I didn’t know before the training, which taught me marketing and how to manage personnel.”

Charline is one of more than 600 small and medium business owners in Haiti, who has received training under a program developed and paid for by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group.

Charline says the training taught her not only how to better manage her staff and make more money, but also how to diversify. She has now expanded her money transfer business to include the sale of cell phones and computers.

SOUNDBITE (French) Charline Dubuisson, Business Owner:
“We used to do only money transfers until through the training I learned to diversify, using the same space, which gives us more revenue.”

The training program, Business Edge, aims at raising productivity, profitability and competitiveness of Haiti’s small and medium enterprises, thought to represent about 80 percent of all employment in the country.

Gas-station owner Harry Clesca says that the training he receives through the program is so beneficial that he brings some of his staff along.

SOUNDBITE (French) Harry Clesca, Business Owner:
“I take marketing and personnel management training, and my employees take courses in customer service and group leadership.”

He says the training is translating into better sales and more money both good for him, and for the 56 people he employs.