Lawyer and diplomat Novia Augustin is a Haitian woman with a strong social commitment and an exemplary life story. A feminist and activist, she is passionately and determinedly dedicated to defending women’s rights as vice-president of Fedofed, a Haitian social organization. She is also the founding director of Refuge des Femmes d’Haïti, an organization that works with the most marginalized women, such as sex workers, HIV-positive women, victims of violence, bisexual and transgender women, among others.
She is originally from Saint-Marc, as is her family. She was born and partly raised in Saint-Marc, a city located about one hundred kilometers from the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. She started elementary school in Saint-Marc and later completed her university studies in Port-au-Prince.
According to her account, from a very young age she always knew what her true goal in life and her calling were: to support the emancipation of women in Haitian culture. She became a spokesperson in the field of human rights. “I think I always knew I would become a feminist activist. I remember once, when I was eight years old, witnessing a terrible episode of physical violence in the family I grew up in. Looking back on it today, I realize that it was one of the events that pushed me to get involved in this field,” says Augustin.
Through her organization Ref-Haïti, Augustin supports women through various experimental courses and helps them achieve independence. She collaborates with partners and donors such as UNICEF, FOSREF, UNDP, UN Women, FAES, Food for the Poor, Initiative Gross, and Sie CCM-Haïti. Her courses include “safe sewing techniques, financial literacy, and targeted support for full reintegration into society, in support of women.”
Between 2020 and 2021, the organization conducted approximately sixty training sessions and distributed energy kits and materials to enable women to start small businesses. At the same time, the organization continued to raise awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV, and various forms of violence against women.
Augustin recently became a mother. This is one of her main motivations for fighting the difficulties that women face. She calls on the Haitian judicial system to strengthen existing laws against violence against women, because women in Haitian society have the right to a safe life. At the same time, she promotes within her organization a culture of resistance against all forms of abuse to which women are subjected.
In January 2021, Novia Augustin received the Dofen Award for her commitment and dedication to women’s rights. In the same year, she also received the MCFDF award, an important recognition for promoting the safety and well-being of women.
