France-Backed Project in Jacmel Opens Construction Trades to Women
ATECO initiative, funded by the French Embassy, trains 35 people — 65% women — in building trades to reduce gender inequality in the sector.
JACMEL, Haiti — The Association of Construction Technicians (ATECO) is implementing a project in Jacmel aimed at facilitating women's access to careers in the construction industry, according to haitilibre.com. The initiative is funded by the French Embassy through the Fonds Équipe France (FEF) and seeks to reduce gender inequalities in a sector still largely perceived as male-dominated, while strengthening women's economic empowerment.
As part of the project, 35 people — 65% of them women — received training in various construction-related fields, gaining technical and practical skills to ease their integration into the sector. Some participants are already working on sites. Building construction technician Sœurette Toussaint, now employed at a Jacmel construction site, said the trade has improved her economic situation and helped participants become self-reliant.
ATECO President Jonas Milien said the project is helping shift perceptions of women's role in Haiti's construction sector and challenge stereotypes limiting their access to technical trades. Laurent Clavel, Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Action at the French Embassy in Haiti, said the project illustrates France's 'feminist diplomacy' in Haiti, adding that opening construction trades to women shows that more inclusive societies require valuing all talent free from stereotypes or exclusion.