Members of the media are invited to cover:

WHO:  Haitians in Chicago, including The Honorable Lesly Condé, Consul General of Haiti, and Ill. Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago; Haitians in Haiti participating via Skype; and DePaul University faculty, staff and students.

WHAT: Launch of Zafen.org, a new microfinance Web site that enables people anywhere to lend money securely to Haitian entrepreneurs to fuel its economy from the grassroots. Event features Haitian breakfast, Haitian crafters, DePaul’s President, the Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M., cutting an electronic ribbon and the making of inaugural loans. The Zafèn launch opens “DePaul Day for Haiti,” an all-day fundraising effort for Haiti.

WHEN/WHERE:  8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday, April 1, DePaul’s Lincoln Park Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., Room 120 A & B. (Speaking program 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m.)

WHY: Zafèn was developed to stimulate collaboration between Haitian business owners, the Haitian Diaspora, friends of Haiti and others who support the development of Haiti’s economy in a sustainable manner. Zafèn can make a positive impact on Haiti’s economic, social and physical environment by providing micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises with enhanced access to financing. Showcased business projects have been pre-screened for community impact. Contributors now have online access through a secure, easy and reliable mechanism for making loans or donations as low as $25.

ABOUT ZAFÈN: In 2009, the international leadership of the Vincentian Family (numerous organizations inspired by the legacy of St. Vincent de Paul) joined Haitian microfinance institution Fonkoze to initiate a project that would enable people worldwide to loan or donate to businesses in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest on earth. 

The Vincentians are the religious congregation that sponsors DePaul University, whose Web technicians built the site and whose Professor, Laura Hartman, is an expert and author on poverty alleviation and sits on the steering committee for this international effort. She has been to Haiti five times in the past 12 months working with entrepreneurs seeking loans.

The Vincentians launched Zafèn to commemorate the lives and works of St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and St. Louise de Marillac (1591-1660) on the 350th anniversary of their deaths because they dedicated their lives to serving people living in poverty.

ABOUT DEPAUL: DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, non-profit university in the Midwest. The university offers highly respected, flexible, practical programs of study on two Chicago and four suburban campuses.