Economic Development
Program
Program changes since 2007
AFSC-Haiti has worked with community-based groups in a variety of economic development projects since the early 1990s. In 2002-3 the program sharpened its focus to work with fewer base groups and more specific strategies of intervention and training, with some greater success particularly in the reforestation and goat projects. Many of the groups were well along in the process of capital formation by 2007--but with insufficient capacity and a structure in place to guarantee continuity. In the spirit of devolving the program to local control, AFSC set out to help the community groups develop that capacity. Beginning in January 2008 a nine-month plan was started to train groups and leaders to set up and manage a federation to sustain their successes in local development programs. The following describes key elements of the program through 2007.
Background on Economic Development Program
The economic development
program began in 1989. The goal of this program is to provide
training for local community-based groups in the rural
communities of Dame-Marie, Moron, and Anse d’Hainault.
The program works in these low-income rural areas to strengthen
the long term economic stability in each community. AFSC
hopes to accomplish this by providing community-based groups
with the financial and technical support needed in the
following areas of community development:
Reforestation
Environmental
problems such as erosion and deforestation have continued
to intensify in Haiti over the past few years and the
present shortage of trees in the country has led environmental
experts to state that the situation is close to an
ecological disaster. Despite the high annual rainfall
in the Grand’ Anse department, the amount of
available natural resources in the area is not different
than the rest of the nation. Haitians living in extreme
poverty are forced to cut down trees to sell for the
money they need to survive.
The goal of the reforestation
project is to end the destruction of the forests in the
region by training members of the community in the areas
such as plant nurseries, seeds, sapling production, control
of insects and illnesses, composts, and transplantation.
During the fiscal year 2003, a total of 50,000 fruit
and forest saplings were produced. 11,752 were produced
in the first phase of the project. In the second phase, 38,248 fruit
and forest
seeds were distributed to 6 groups in Dame-Marie,
Moron, and Anse d’Hainault
to plant in satellite nurseries. In 2004, the project
continues to expand the satellite nurseries to more remote locations. In
all areas of work, the participation of community-based groups
is crucial. The group members are responsible for all
aspects of the nurseries, including making a cover for
the nursery, preparing bags for the seeds, watering,
and distributing the saplings.
Residents
have affirmed the success of the project by stating
that the nursery locations have served
as spaces for regular community meetings in addition
to being work space. They have started nurseries
in their backyards based on the techniques they learned
in the program.
Community
Store
The community store at the
AFSC office in Dame Marie is one of the newest parts
of the economic development program. The store serves
as a place for the community groups to purchase the
seeds and planting supplies they need to continue
the reforestation project and to plant
consumable crops. Thus, the store reinforces the
overall production capacity of the community.
The store sells products
that are generally available in the region and products
that are bought in Port-au-Prince and sold in the store
at a reduced price. Available merchandise includes tomato,
cabbage, pea, carrot, and maize seeds and tools such
as pickaxes, shovels and rakes. For the general public, the
store sells at the same prices as other local stores
in order to avoid problems with the local merchants;
however, the members of the community-based groups
pay through a different system. One of three elected
members from each community group, who are the only
members of the group allowed to buy from the store,
files a form at the store before purchasing. The representative
needs to give upfront 50% of the cost of the purchase
in cash, 25% a month later, and the other 25% two months
later. If a member does not pay back the cost, the
group representative is personally responsible for
repaying the debt.
The increase of agricultural supplies and tools in the community results in
a better overall quality of life in the region. Additionally, the store encourages
involvement in community groups as well as a reduction in uncultivated land.
The payment process for the community-based groups allows the group representatives
to organize and be responsible for their members.
In addition to
the community store, plans are underway for a store
that would sell and fix bicycles.
Animal
Rearing
Animal
rearing is one of the most important contributors to
the economy in rural Haiti. Historically, Creole pigs
were a main generator of wealth in a family; the income
from the sale of one pig would pay for children to
go to school or for marriages or funerals. However,
in 1983, a United States sponsored program eliminated
all Creole pigs in Haiti and the Dominican Republic,
allegedly because of a fear that a swine fever would
spread to the United States. Future attempts to return
pigs to Haiti failed, largely because the pigs were
not suited to conditions in Haiti. Thus, AFSC has recently
begun to introduce goats to the Grand’ Anse region
in an effort to revive one of the most important aspects
of the local economy.
While the general objective
of this project is to promote the economic capacity of
the community groups, this project has several other
goals for the community as well. It looks to maintain
equality amongst the participants while also organizing
leaders to oversee the project. While the majority of
the participants in the program are women from community
groups of about 25 people, the whole region benefits
indirectly from the goat farming.
Each participating
community group has one or two delegates who are in charge
of the goat project for their respective group. The delegates
are trained in areas such as creating shelters for the
goats, breeding, reproduction, and the prevention and
treatment of goat illnesses. It is important that the
delegates learn the information well enough to be able
to teach it to the rest of the community group.
The female goats for
the project are bought from the surrounding areas and
distributed to a community group based on the group’s
technical and financial management. The goats are paid
for following an established credit plan. The male goats
are acquired through SHAD (Haitian Development Service)
from Haiti or Santo Domingo. The males purchased have
proven to be strong in harsh climactic conditions and
are thus ideal for the program. By crossing the female
goats with the good quality male goats, the community
will eventually have an improved goat breed. The delegate
of the community group is in charge of the group’s
male goat(s). The other members of the group pay the
delegate a fee for breeding. All the goats that are bred
are allowed to graze and are supplied with appropriate
food and medicine.
The goat project has allowed
women to have an equal level of participation in the community
as men. It also provides the community with an alternative to
cutting down trees for income. As the number of goats owned by
a household increases, the wealth and quality of life of that
family will undoubtedly improve.
Fishing
Fishing is also a
crucial part of the local economy. The AFSC-Haiti project
continually works to make
the existing fishing programs more effective. In the
past, AFSC has worked with fishermen’s groups on
topics such as financial planning, marketing, and essential
skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. AFSC
has also provided the groups with important supplies
such as nets, hooks, nasse (bamboo fishing weirs), net
floats, and rope for making nets.
In 1998, five representatives
from fishing associations along with an AFSC staffperson
traveled to Dominica for eight days to learn about topics
such as fishing techniques, boat building, and fish conservation.
On another trip, visitors learned about creating fishing
organizations and the importance of women in the fishing
programs, since they are the ones who sell the products
at the market. These visits, as well as others, have helped renew the fishermen’s
dedication to improving their lives. The visits also help the participants
in the fishing program to develop a relationship with other fishing associations.
Education
and Community Organizing
This component of the program seeks to strengthen the community
based groups in their activities and endeavors. This
is accomplished by encouraging the participation of
all the members in the existing groups, creating training
programs for the groups, and providing group members
with basic reading and writing skills.
Each of the four target
areas in the project (Irois, Anse d’Hainault, Dame
Marie, and Moron) has had its own unique educational
activities. In 2002, members of groups for women, youth,
peasants, and fishermen in Irois learned about human
rights and issues related to International Women’s
Day. In Anse d’Hainault and Dame Marie, community
groups learned about human rights, the environment, and
women’s issues. The AFSC staff also helped the
groups in organizing and carrying out their meetings.
The groups in Dame Marie also learned about civil status.
The groups chosen to be in charge of the tree nursery
attended meetings to decide which seeds to plant, how
to prepare the terrain, etc. In Moron, the meetings focused
on human and women’s rights, political analysis,
the environment, and reforestation. Fishermen’s
groups in all four target areas received assistance following
Hurricanes Michelle and Lily.
For fiscal year 2005,
the education program will provide more training on civil
issues, and implement a peace and conflict prevention
project. This project will focus on training community
leaders on non-violent conflict prevention and resolution.
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