Tag Archives: Haiti

Heifer CEO Ferrari Tours Haiti Ag Sites with President Clinton

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President and CEO Pierre Ferrari talks with President Clinton at North Coast Development farm in Terrier Rouge, Haiti.

President and CEO Pierre Ferrari talks with President Clinton at North Coast Development Corporation’s farm in Terrier Rouge, Haiti.

TERRIER ROUGE, Haiti—Two large U.N. helicopters swooped in last weekend to North Coast Development Corporation‘s farm in northeast Haiti for a visit by President Clinton and a delegation of executives key to agricultural development in Haiti, including Heifer’s President and CEO Pierre Ferrari.

Andy English of North Coast Development and Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari chat as a U.N. helicopter warms up for departure.

Andy English of North Coast Development and Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari chat in front of one of the U.N. helicopters that landed on the farm.

The farm is especially close to Heifer’s heart as we work with operator Andy English and owner Ann Piper to offer Heifer training in beekeeping and animal health care. The farm will also build one of three purebred commercial goat breeding centers as part of Heifer Haiti’s $18.7 million REACH project to strengthen the crop- and livestock-based livelihoods of more than 20,000 vulnerable farming families throughout the country.

This doe, named "Gouda," is the model breeder for the farm, English says.

This doe, named “Gouda,” is the model breeder for the farm, English says.

“If you really want to change something in this country that currently has very poor quality animals, you have to invest long-term,” said Country Director Hervil Cherubin. “We’re developing our own high-quality centers to improve the quality of animals throughout Haiti and reduce imports from the Dominican Republic.”

Ferrari agreed. “What we’re doing is addressing the problem immediately and with scale. It’s not just a pilot project. We’re building a system that creates value for everyone in the chain.

heifergroup

From left, Heifer’s Edwin Rocha, Pierre Ferrari and Ewaldy Estil of Heifer Haiti, pose for a photo with animal health care worker Lovely Cledor, age 26. Lovely took the Heifer animal care training and immediately got a job working with the goats on North Coast’s farm. She wants to become a veterinarian and contribute to improving animal production in Haiti.

“It’s slow, you don’t see it right away,” Ferrari said. “But in 10 to 15 years, we can look back and measure the difference in quality and income and economic value created by this project. Many of the complaints about organizations working in Haiti is that they don’t stay long enough to make any real change. Heifer has been here for more than 20 years, and we’re investing in structural change and the long-term success of Haitian agriculture.”

The Clinton Foundation noted that the weekend tours to farms and factories, and related dinners and conversations, were to highlight a variety of Haitian agricultural products and businesses and explore how the government, international community and private sector are finding new opportunities to foster growth and investment in the agricultural sector in Haiti. The foundation also announced more than $700,000 in grants to support small farmers.

President Clinton speaks with Heifer's Pierre Ferrari and other delegates at the Heineken brewery in Port au Prince that produces the Haitian beer Prestige.

President Clinton speaks with Heifer’s Pierre Ferrari and other delegates at the Heineken brewery in Port au Prince that produces the Haitian beer Prestige.

In a wrap-up speech at the Heineken plant in Port au Prince that announced that company’s $40 million investment and commitment to local sourcing of sorghum for the brewery, Clinton thanked Ferrari and Heifer International by name, in addition to others in the delegation, for their contributions in Haiti. He also reinforced the rallying cry of Haiti’s President MIchel Martelly that “Haiti is open for business.”

“This has been a great day,” Clinton said in a press conference at the brewery. “One of the great debates that I hope to see favorably resolved while I’m still alive is whether the world population can go to 8 or 9 billion or wherever it’s going, and we can deal with the challenges of climate change in a way that enhances and empowers smallholder farmers instead of throwing them off their lands with the pipe dream that large-scale mechanized farming can solve that problem. It will be a disaster if it happens.

“We wouldn’t be in the fix we are in today if all the world’s economic powers, including the international organizations, had not made a decision somewhere around 1980 to simply stop supporting smallholder farm agriculture in developing countries,” Clinton said.

“We are trying in Haiti to establish a laboratory to prove that farmers are smart everywhere, they know how to protect their land and make the most of it and all they need is organization, inputs and support.”

Heifer Haiti Trains Animal Workers

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Yesterday morning, Heifer Haiti began a second round of training for 23 new Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs, commonly called vet agents in Haiti) for the northern and Central Plateau regions. A total of 60 CAHWs will be trained by the end of June 2013 for Heifer’s Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation in Haiti (REACH) program.

Heifer Haiti

Training candidates pose for a group photo. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

These 23 candidates will receive three weeks of intensive training in animal care and will return home to practice for a period of two-to-three months. Later they will return for the final phase of the training, which will last another two-to-three weeks. Upon successful completion of the training, they will receive an official certificate from the government of Haiti, through the Ministry of Agriculture, which will authorize them to work as vet agents anywhere in the country.

The remaining candidates will be trained in April and May of this year.

Read recent blog posts about Heifer’s REACH program here, and visitwww.heifer.org/reachout to give directly to this groundbreaking program.

Heifer Haiti: Rebuilding After Hurricane Sandy

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A project participant transports his banana rhizome from the distribution site to his farm. Photo courtesy of Heifer Haiti.

A project participant transports his banana rhizome from the distribution site to his farm. Photo courtesy of Heifer Haiti.

After Hurricane Sandy ravaged Haiti, Heifer Haiti began recording its losses to apply for assistance to aid victims in the southern region. Heifer International immediately approved funding for alimentary (nutritional) kits and seeds for project families.

As of January 31, Heifer Haiti reached its goal to provide 410 families with alimentary kits. The project also distributed to participants about 3,400 pounds of black bean seeds and 850 dozen banana rhizomes. The project will continue with seed distribution and also hopes to distribute corn, pigeon bean, peanut, pimento and sweet potato seeds.

Overall, Heifer Haiti plans to assist 1,196 families affected by Hurricane Sandy; as of January 6, the project has reached 855.

Haiti REACH Begins Training Goat Breeders

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This week, Heifer Haiti and local partner organization, Tèt kole, held a three-day training for a group of goat breeding center owners in Montrouis in western Haiti. This group of owners are part of the first cohort of Heifer’s REACH program.

Haiti REACH training participants

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

A total of 22 participants, men and women, young and old, gathered from six of Haiti’s departments where REACH is implemented: Northeast, Northwest, Centre, Nippes, the West and the Grand’Anse. The owners met and networked with each other and learned more about Heifer International’s philosophy, history and methods.

Training topics included Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development, the general context of livestock production in Haiti, importance of breeding centers, breeding center care and characteristics, animal production techniques, animal health and wellbeing, forage management, business management, marketing and others. Future plans include visiting successful commercial farms in the Dominican Republic.

Haiti REACH training participants.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Participants were pleased with the trainings, as they will be better prepared to manage the important work of breeding center ownership. Although many have backgrounds in agriculture and livestock, the introduction to new operating techniques and skills will set them up for success.

This diverse group of producers and goat breeding center owners became aligned around a common target during the training: the success of REACH on an individual scale, and ultimately improving the fates of their communities.

When asked about the importance of Heifer’s REACH program, participants said they think it is timely, because they were missing the tools for success. They are confident this program will benefit their respective communities and the entire country.

Haiti REACH training participants.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

This introductory training session will not only help breeding center owners modernize their farming practices, it also serves as the launching pad for the REACH program. Training participants before had a common passion for agriculture and livestock; as a result of the training, they have become a group of budding entrepreneurs with the yearning for success within the program.

The signing of contracts between Heifer Haiti and this new group of entrepreneurial goat breeders marks a decisive step in the implementation of REACH. The participants would like to thank Heifer from the bottom of their hearts for this program, and Heifer wishes them well.

Read recent blog posts about Heifer’s REACH program here, and visit www.heifer.org/reachout to give directly to this groundbreaking program.

Haiti Earthquake: Heifer’s Work Continues

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It’s not news: the world’s poor are the most vulnerable to natural disasters. The 2010 Haiti earthquake highlighted this truth to a shocking degree. There are many factors that contribute to the dire poverty that exists in places like Haiti. Heifer International’s work is to help farming families build resilient livelihoods, making them less vulnerable to natural disasters, economic changes (like rising commodity food prices) and political shocks.

What does a farm family with a sustainable and resilient livelihood look like? They:

Haiti earthquake survivor

Jean Pierre jumped out of a third-story apartment just before the building collapsed into rubble, one of many destroyed during the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010. She is photographed here, sitting in a field in Cance, in rural western Haiti, a year and a half later. Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee, courtesy of Heifer International.

  • Have stable and diverse sources of income
  • Own secure and productive land
  • Have savings and can access formal financing (banks, loans, etc.)
  • Can meet their food needs all year, both through their own production and by affording supplemental food from other sources
  • Have access to health, education, water, energy, transportation and communication services
  • Have a strong voice, especially the women, through cooperatives and associations

Heifer’s Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation in Haiti Project (REACH) is making the above a reality for more than 100,000 Haitians. It’s our largest project in Haiti to date, and it will help participating families and communities far less vulnerable to events like the Haiti earthquake of 2010, because they will have the resiliency to bounce back with minimal assistance.

We need help fulfilling our fundraising goals, and you can give directly to REACH today. What will your gift do? This:

  • Start family-run breeding centers that will improve the local economy by creating jobs and training participants to provide for improved livestock breeds– something that has never been done before in Haiti.
  • Improve Haiti’s soil so it will produce better crops, increasing crop production and quality, and ultimately growing enough food that farmers can use to sell for income and build businesses.
  • Train Haitian farmers in disaster preparedness and teaching them  how to protect their biggest assets–their livestock.
  • Protect the environment by placing animals where they are complementary to the crops, and train participants techniques such as zero-grazing, which protects ground cover and makes collecting manure for organic fertilizer easy. Our goal is to leave the environment better than we found it.
Post Haiti earthquake rebuilding.

A Haiti REACH goat breeding center. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

We cannot predict the next time a major natural disaster like the 2010 Haiti earthquake will strike. Through REACH, however, we can help ensure at least 100,000 Haitians will be less vulnerable.

Give to REACH now to become part of this important work.

Haiti: Three Years After the Earthquake

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Today is the third anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti.

Haiti earthquake

Photo by Bryan Clifton, courtesy of Heifer International.

Recovering from Haiti Earthquake.

Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

This week we have highlighted the work Heifer has been doing in Haiti both before and since the earthquake. Here’s a quick roundup:

Our current major effort in Haiti is our extensive project called Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation in Haiti (REACH). The project aims to help 20,250 families with gifts of livestock and by strengthening communities through the construction and management of goat and swine breeding centers, many of which will be owned and operated by women.

You can learn more and donate to REACH by visiting heifer.org/reachout now.

Recovering from Haiti earthquake.

Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Of course, Heifer’s work alone is not nearly all the help Haiti needs as it continues to recover from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. The good news is that we’re certainly not alone. Here’s a list of recent posts from other great organizations applying their work in what has long been the most impoverished and vulnerable country in the Western Hemisphere:

Heifer International Marks 3rd Anniversary of Haiti Earthquake

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On the third anniversary of the devastating January 2010 Haiti earthquake, Heifer International remembers the quake’s victims – those killed and those dislocated – and affirms our commitment to help Haitians emerge from the tragedy stronger than before.

Post Haiti Earthquake

Port-au-Prince tent camp almost 8 months after Haiti earthquake in 2010. Photo by Bryan Clifton, courtesy of Heifer International.

The magnitude-7 earthquake affected nearly 3,000 Heifer project families. Since the Haiti earthquake, Heifer has built and repaired dozens of homes; provided water filters and hygiene kits to prevent cholera; and helped rejuvenate rural agricultural activities with training and resources such as animals, equipment and seeds.

Today, Heifer International is implementing an extensive project called REACH (Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation in Haiti), which is helping Haiti build its agricultural sector and improve the lives of rural Haitians.

Post Haiti Earthquake Goat Breeding Center

Goat breeding center, part of Heifer's Haiti REACH project, in Tet Kole. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

The five-year project will assist 20,250 rural households in Haiti through not only the distribution of livestock but also through improved market linkages and construction and management of goat and swine breeding centers.

Heifer will build 97 goat and 50 swine breeding centers that will provide quality livestock for Haitians, and project participants will own the centers. Twenty-five breeding center owners have been selected already, and 19 breeding centers are under construction.

Post Haiti Earthquake Goat Breeding Center

Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Heifer International worked in Haiti for 10 years before the earthquake and is committed to working with families for many years to come. Recently, Heifer provided help to families and communities affected by Hurricane Sandy, which, before striking the northeastern United States as Superstorm Sandy, inundated the struggling island nation.

As the world remembers the catastrophe that occurred on January 12, 2010, and considers how far Haiti has yet to come, Heifer International vows to open a new era of hope in the lives of thousands of Haitian people.

Be a part of our Haiti earthquake rehabilitation work by donating to our Haiti REACH project today.

A New Beginning With Heifer in Milot, Haiti

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Editor’s note: As we approach the third anniversary of the earthquake that devastated the lives of so many Haitians, we are asking for your help in raising funds to continue the important work of rebuilding livelihoods in post-earthquake Haiti. Visit www.heifer.org/reachout to learn more and give.

Author’s note: In 2012, I traveled to Haiti to spend a couple of weeks visiting projects with Heifer Haiti staff. For previous posts on my trip, see my page.

Toussaint Christophe lives just off the road that takes travelers to nearby Milot, Haiti. There, he earns money by breaking limestone and selling it as construction material.

Toussaint Christophe

Toussaint Christophe and his goats in Milot, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

But not too far from his house, Toussaint also cultivates yams, bananas and beans and takes care of four goats and a cow–all of which came from Heifer through the From the Ground Up project. The crops and livestock will supplement both his diet and income.

“Since I was a young man, I’ve seen people with cows,” Toussaint said. “This is the first time I’ve had one.”

Goats are a more familiar sight to Toussaint. His parents raised and bred goats, and he began helping the effort as soon as he was able. At age 14, he received his first goat. Shortly after, Toussaint’s family was robbed of all 15 of their goats, and he, his parents and six siblings had to rely solely upon selling bananas and yams to the market.

Compounding the situation, the family’s house burned down a few years later. The fire killed one of his brothers and left another paralyzed. Toussaint’s family never found out how the house burned down, but they suspect it was arson. Around the same time, four of his siblings became ill with asthma problems.

After the fire, Toussaint dropped out of school to help support his family.

“The first time I went to school, I was 17 because my parents were not supportive of that kind of thing,” he said. “When the house burned, we lost everything. (My parents) wanted me to work.”

Toussaint Christophe 2

Toussaint Christophe near his home in Milot, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Toussaint’s children, however, are getting the opportunity he never had. Both of his sons, who are in their mid-20s, are in secondary school in Cap Haitien, about 12 miles away.

And Toussaint’s informal education has continued through Heifer trainings.

“I have had many trainings… (including) techniques for dividing yam roots and goat production,” he said. “I can now treat some of the kinds of diseases that goats have. In the past, I (would have) to pay a veterinarian for everything the goats needed. Now, I can give a first examination or first aid to the goats.”

The project with Heifer marks the first time Toussaint has owned goats since his teenage years, and this is not something he takes lightly.

“I take care of (the goats) as well as I would a person,” he said. “I like to see them right.”

Toussaint Christophe 3

Toussaint Christophe smiles near his home in Milot, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Heifer Haiti’s REACH Project Builds a Foundation for Development

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Last fall, Americas Area Vice President Oscar Castañeda shared his thoughts on Heifer Haiti’s Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation in Haiti (REACH) project. REACH is a five-year project that will assist 20,250 rural households in Haiti through not only the distribution of livestock but also through improved market linkages and the construction and management of goat and swine breeding centers. Learn more about REACH here: www.heifer.org/reachout.

Gladys Vilport

Gladys Vilport with one of her goats in Maniche, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

The project officially started in the second half of 2012, and the past several months staff members in Haiti have begun constructing the project.

“REACH is just like we’re building Haiti,” said Hervil Cherubin, Heifer Haiti director. “So you have to spend a lot of time to build a strong foundation, a strong base. Once you have that base, you can go ahead. That’s what we’ve been doing the first semester, building that base.”

REACH will be implemented in six of Haiti’s ten departments. So far, Heifer Haiti has selected 36 municipalities in four departments for REACH. About half of the communities where Heifer will work through the project have been identified as well.

To date, 100 project participants have received training. Sixty goats and 240 rabbits have also been distributed. Additionally, a fish hatchery was built for 15,000 fingerlings on Lake Peligre.

Goat and pig breeding centers are an important part of REACH. Heifer will build 97 goat and 50 swine breeding centers that will provide quality livestock for Haitians. Project participants will own the centers. Twenty-five breeding center owners have been selected already, and 19 breeding centers are under construction.

From December 4-6, Heifer Haiti hosted the Community Animal Health Worker (CAHW) Orientation Workshop in Les Cayes. The goal of the workshop was to develop a community-based animal health care system in Haiti through a “training of trainers” methodology, where workshop participants learned basic health care applicable for all animal species so that they can use that knowledge to train animal health workers in the field. During the workshop, participants and facilitators designed a three-week basic course to use for the participants’ training sessions in the field. In the next month, workshop participants will train 60 CAHWs to assist in the REACH project.

Partnerships for the project are also in the works with Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture and several non-governmental organizations.

“Now we’re ready to start building on (our) base,” Cherubin said. “Structurally, (REACH) has been praised. Many people think, for the first time, there is a model that takes on the structural aspects of animal production in Haiti.”

REACH out to Haiti through a gift to Heifer today.

Rabbits Provide Vital Source of Income

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As one of the most popular pets in America, rabbits fill many roles here—pet, cartoon character, Easter egg porter.

But for many families rabbits are more than just cute animals; they create a vital source of income.

Rabbits Make a Great Gift

Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

The small animals rely on simple foods, such as grass and vegetables, to eat, and they do not require large areas of land to thrive. Moreover, the manure they produce fertilizes the land and enhances its productivity, a hugely valuable asset for a smallholder farmer.

These sturdy animals reproduce swiftly; they can have six litters of four to 12 babies, or kits, each year. Additionally, the offspring mature quickly, which means Heifer participants can Pass on the Gift in a few months, compared to the year or two it takes to share the offspring of a larger animal, such as a cow.

A gift of a rabbit transforms a family’s life, providing extra income for to buy more and better food, access health care and pay children’s school fees.

Anthonio Louis Fritznel organized a group of peers to raise rabbits to improve the La Sucrerie community in southern Haiti. Watch this video and see the impact rabbits can make on a community.

This holiday season, consider giving a trio of rabbits to help more people like Anthonio.

This post is part of our What to Give series, where we’re helping you choose the best Heifer gift for your loved ones. Read previous What to Give posts here, and subscribe to the What to Give series here.

Still don’t know what to give? Visit our full catalog page here.