Spring 2007 Newsletter — Contents
First Visit to Haiti
KADN fish farm in Nava.
By Matt Kaiser
The U.S. Lambi Fund Staff recently returned from a visit to Haiti to learn about and meet with the grassroots organizations that are successfully running sustainable development projects in their communities. This was my first visit to Haiti.
Green mountains gave way to white sandy beaches where the Caribbean's deep blue waters spilled against the shore. The Haitian countryside was stunningly gorgeous from the window of the small plane we took from Port-au-Prince to Les Cayes.
The first stop was Konbit 2004 near the village of Chato. Currently Lambi Fund is working with the members of Konbit 2004 on a water cistern and reforestation project. The organization has built five cisterns and plans to finish five more. For each cistern, members are planting 10,000 seedlings to reforest their community for a total of 100,000 trees.
Family from ADZK taking care of their pig.
In the village of Nava, the members of the Cooperative Association for the Development of Nava (KADN) are working with the Lambi Fund to create a fish farm to provide a source of protein in their diets and income for their community. Our delegation met with the group and heard of the difficulties members had to overcome in digging the basins that will hold the fish. At first they thought they could have individual ponds for each member but soon realized it would be a lot of work and required a community effort. So they worked together to build four adjoining fish basins. The members of KADN indicated that Lambi Fund's trainings were very helpful and expressed the desire for more training. The hope in the member's comments was contagious as they looked toward the future. One woman emphatically commented, "We want those fish because we are going to sell them at the market!"
After a brief stop to see an impressive waterfall near So Maturin, we drove down Haiti's rocky roads to meet with the Association for the Development of Kasis (ADZK). In 2006 Lambi Fund provided ADZK with funding for 27 pigs, a veterinarian, food, and technical and management training for the project. At the time of our visit, four of their 15 sows had 25 piglets that the group will distribute in the community and sell to provide income for their organization. The group grows the feed locally and has set up a veterinary pharmacy so they do not have to travel into town if the pigs become sick. A member of ADZK stated, "Pigs allow us to live, that is the way we take care of our kids and all of our needs." ADZK also had the distinction of having recently elected its first woman president, which is a rarity in male-dominated Haiti. This ground breaking move is a direct result of the gender equity and leadership training provided by Lambi Fund.
Organization of the Good Samaritan (OBS) was the last organization we met with near the village of Torbeck. In 2003 Lambi had provided OBS with the funds to purchase a grain mill. Members of OBS fired up the mill and gave us a demonstration by milling a sack of corn. The president of the group shared how the mill has affected their diet saying, "We were in a difficult situation…because of the mill we are able to eat beans and have corn meal with it." The organization also shared other benefits they have experienced as a result of the mill, stating that they no longer had to spend as much time and money taking their grain to a mill in another community.
Our trip to Haiti concluded in Port Salut with some of the same stunning scenery we first saw from the window of that small airplane. Clear blue waters, white sandy beaches, and palm trees were our surroundings as we swam in the Caribbean on the final afternoon of the trip. We left with confidence and hope that someday this island in the Caribbean will become a safe and stable democratic society where people everywhere can have the opportunity to experience the incredible surroundings, culture, and people of Haiti. See the photos of the recent trip.
