Heifer Haiti’s first Passing on the Gift (POG) ceremony of 2012 occurred earlier this month in the 7th section of Moulin, Gros Morne municipality in the Artibonite region. Sixteen original beneficiary families Passed on the Gift of 26 goats as part of the “Rapid Action of the Distribution of Animals to Families in Rural Areas” subproject of Heifer Haiti’s From the Ground Up umbrella project.

Heifer participants Pass on the Gift of goats to new project families.

The subproject was designed to quickly alleviate the dire situations of families after the 2010 earthquake through the distribution of rabbits, chickens, goats and other animals, as well as seeds and building materials for animal shelters.

The families that participated in the POG ceremony belong to Heifer’s project partner, the Organization of Peasant Farmers of the 7th Section of Moulin/Gros Morne (OP7G), an organization that has been involved in several projects, especially environmental recovery projects in the wake of 2004′s Hurricane Jeanne. Last year, the group received 102 goats from Heifer Haiti.

Heifer Haiti was the first organization to work with OP7G (in 2002, on the Sustainable Agriculture in Northern Haiti Project), and Heifer staff members have taken pride in watching the progress OP7G has made toward becoming a significant development organization in not only the 7th section of Gros Morne, but also the 4h and 5th.

As a next step, OP7G is determined to establish their own meat processing facility to help member families generate more income in the region.