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THE EARTHQUAKE IN 2021

On August 14th, 2021, Haiti was struck by a powerful 7.2 earthquake, devastating the southwestern peninsula. The latest information indicates: 2,200 dead, 12,000 injured, more than 300 missing; close to 130,000 homes destroyed or seriously damaged, and an estimated 700,000 are homeless.

The epicenter of the quake was in the Department of Nippes, a region whose economic mainstay is fishing. This is where we are concentrating our relief efforts.

Photo 1 Destruction

August 14-2021 Earthquake, Nippes. © hmanes 9-2-2021

OUR RELIEF RESPONSE PROJECT

The first week of September we went to Haiti, and spent most of our time in Nippes. Following many meetings with the local population, especially the fishermen and the women who are small merchants who sell the fish. Together we designed the following relief response project:

To rebuild the supply chain of the fishing sector in the Petite Rivière de Nippes

The supply chain consists of the men who fish, and the women who sell the fish. Our project reflects the needs of these two pillars of the local fishing sector.

Part Two: As in all our projects, we pay special attention to women whose voices are often not heard. We called a meeting of women, small merchants, who sell the fish. The first meeting was attended by 300 women!- indicating how urgent their needs are. All chose the option to access funding so they could restart their commerce. We agreed. We are negotiating with a local finance cooperative a three-year microcredit program we will fund to respond to the women’s needs.

STATUS OF PROJECT: IN PROCESS.

PHOTO 4

A partial view of the 300 Women who attended the first of several EWI meetings about their needs. © MSimon

Part One: to rebuild the underwater ‘fish attracter’ systems destroyed by the quake, to enable the local artisanal fishermen reach their pre-earthquake catch quantity, and impressive size of each fish caught.

Photo 2

Photo: Men getting into a boat to install the first of the two fish attracter systems

This ingenious system attract plankton, which attracts small fish, which then attracts the large fish that eat the small fish. We provided materials and supplies for two systems, and the fishermen provided additional supplies, and installed the systems. This was a true partnership, and each side contributed equitably.

STATUS OF PROJECT: COMPLETED.

Photo 3

Photo: Man with fish caught with the system, Nippes

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Haiti’s food shortages – triggered by draughts, social unrest, flooding, epidemics, extreme poverty, and lack of a cohesive governmental support – have been recurring over decades. The international response is to send large quantities of food by plane for countrywide distribution.

Sending food alleviates some of the immediate problems, but it also destroys long-term local food production. It perpetuates a cycle stuck in a continuous loop of food emergencies and international responses.

Instead, Haitian farmers need a ten-year, nationwide, effective development plan that increases farmers’ capacity to feed the country and respond to food shortages. Eventually, farmers will be able to altogether prevent food emergencies in Haiti.

Below, are main points such a development plan needs to address to achieve food sufficiency. First and foremost, It must empower Haitian smallholder farmers who represent more than 90% of the country’s food producers.

1. To have a single national agricultural development plan, approved by all Haitian stakeholders, including smallholder farmers, serving the entire country, with clear goals, objectives, and time-specific, verifiable, and transparent results, and related expenditures. Ensure that smallholder farmers’ input is gathered and included in the plan. The report on the plan’s progress and related expenditures should be published quarterly and submitted to the press. The plan must focus on smallholder farmers’ needs, as they represent 90% of all agricultural producers. The report should be succinct, based on facts and results.

2. Report on the plan’s progress and expenditures quarterly to donors, stakeholders, and the media.

3. Establish a national, permanent extension program to support farmers on a pre-determined annual schedule corresponding to planting and harvesting.

4. Create a national registry of all smallholder farmers so no one is left behind.

5. Promote organic, sustainable farming that remediates the soil and reforests the country.

6. Catalogue innovative local practices and disseminate them all over the country through extension training.

7. Build the necessary infrastructure: access to water, roads for timely deliveries, and storage facilities, placed strategically.

8. Support existing and create new agricultural cooperatives to promote farmers’ autonomy and self-reliance.

Provide sustainable support to Haitian farmers will enable them to feed Haiti in all circumstances, and lift rural communities out of poverty. To continue sporadically dump large quantities of food from abroad, undermines Haitian farmers and accelerates their and the country’s downward spiral into deeper poverty.

Ecoworks International’s Talia Farms is a regional program based on these goals and objectives. It aims to improve smallholder farmers’ productivity, earnings, and quality of life. It supports farmers’ autonomy and self-determination by organizing them into agricultural cooperatives they own and manage.

Let’s do it right, do it now, and be impactful.

We live in tremendous gratitude for the generous support of our donors, for the stalwart commitment and support of our Board of Directors, and most of all, for the trust of the farmers and fishermen, and their families, with whom we partner to build a better future in rural Haiti.

Despite the dire situation in Haiti, our work continues - because our Haitian teams are extraordinary.

What if five year-old Kenel, eight years old Roseline, and twelve years old Nadia wouldn’t spend five hours a day carrying water, instead of going to school? With your support we can build rainwater catchment systems to free the children from this chore and send them to school instead.

What if hundreds of farmers could organize themselves into agricultural cooperatives so they can improve their productivity, sell more crops, earn more money, and be able to better care for their families. With your support the first of the five planned regional co-ops just opened its doors.

When you invest in small-scale farming families, you change their lives for the better and forever.

Thank you!

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From the bottom of our hearts, Thank You, and Keep Safe.