For the first time, Haiti's government is giving the Vodou sector a state budget allocation: 50 million gourdes, announced by Foreign Affairs and Worship Minister Raina Forbin on Wednesday, October 28, at a meeting with Vodou leaders, Le Nouvelliste reported.

With the allocation, Vodou joins the other religions recognized in Haiti that already receive this kind of state funding. The meeting focused on strengthening dialogue between the state and the religion's representatives and on how the support fund will be used.

Details on how the money will be shared out had not been made public. The announcement comes days before the Fèt Gede, the Vodou days honoring the dead in early November, and the Ayiti VodouFest, which opens in Pétion-Ville on October 31.