Deforestation in Haiti is Real and So is Reforestation

28 June 2013 - In February, I traveled to Haiti to meet with several of Lambi Fund's partners.  As we drove through the countryside, I was struck with the gut-wrenching rate of deforestation in the country. This was the pit-in-your-stomach kind of despair that comes with seeing a serious problem like deforestation on such a large scale.

The mountains were barren and soil erosion is severe.  As we drove through the Artibonite region, I felt as though I could be driving through the Southwest in the US.  I kept telling myself, "I am on a tropical island.  This desert I see before me is not correct.  The hilly mountains of Haiti should be lush and green" - yet they are not.

Despite this reality, I still have hope.  This photo showing the juxtaposition of deforestation and reforestation in Haiti is very real.

I have had the privilege to sit and talk with members of grassroots organizations who are working to plant thousands of trees throughout the country.  They are fiercely passionate about reforestation and see the direct correlation of abundant trees in their community and their well-being.  And while, it takes several years to see the fruits of their labor take root (pardon my pun), this is the newer and greener Haiti that is possible.  I know it is possible because it is happening as we speak - and I have seen it.

Bonjou Zanmi!

By Kate Dill
When the entire Lambi Fund of Haiti team traveled together in February to meet a few of our partners in the South, Nippes and Artibonite Departments, the trip was also my first time in Haiti.

The visit allowed me to witness firsthand the challenges that the Haitian people face, but it also reinforced my strongly held belief that grassroots organizations provide a critical space for community members to identify shared challenges and devise solutions.

For those who have not had the opportunity to travel to Haiti, I know that you do not have to search long to read accounts of the extreme poverty that exists there. Thus, I will not dwell on it here longer than to say, as someone who has traveled elsewhere in the developing world, I still find it incredibly difficult to witness the hurdles such a taxing environment raises in people's daily lives.

However, I choose to focus on the many wonderful memories I have traveling throughout Haiti—a truly unique country. If someone asks me in ten years what my first impressions driving around the country were, I know that the street vendors and vibrant, colorful marketplaces will immediately come to mind. All sorts of goods were sold in the street markets, ranging from clothing to vegetables and tropical fruits.

I frequently observed two vendors selling the exact same items right next to each other, and I became curious how they make a living selling their products. A member of our partner organization Women in Action in GwoMon (AFAGM) later told me that each vendor has her regular customers. She takes orders, travels four hours in a crowded tap-tap to Port-au-Prince to purchase her goods, and then returns to GwoMon to deliver the orders and sell the remaining merchandise on the street. With this money, she is able to feed her family and send her children to school.

This is an example of how people in Haiti are working hard to survive and create opportunities for their families. It is also indicative of how important it is to talk to people to really understand what their daily lives are like.

The people I came into contact with during my stay inspired me to ask how my efforts can more effectively support my colleagues in Haiti and Lambi Fund's partner organizations as they undertake the truly challenging and courageous work of improving their communities, creating opportunities for themselves and future generations and doing so in a way that restores and sustains the environment.

Our visit to the Association of Youth in Saint Martin for Community Development (AJSDC) provides an example of the power of organizations to move their communities forward. AJSDC approached Lambi Fund with a proposal to install a rice mill in their community. Lambi Fund toured the area and, observing that corn and millet were common crops, suggested that AJSDC instead purchase a standard cereal mill. AJSDC agreed, purchased and installed the mill, and began operations, serving the entire community.

Using revenue generated by the grain mill, AJSDC made two strategic purchases: (1) a sorting machine that separates the processed grains from dust and foreign particles, making the output a more desirable product, and (2) a used rice mill, which they put into service a few months after the grain mill opened.

All three machines are located in the same space, creating a central location for women to come and process all of their grains at once.

Our conversation with AJSDC revealed not only that they took initiative to grow the services they provide to the community, but also that they think creatively to identify problems and formulate solutions that responsibly address those problems. AJSDC is evidence of grassroots organizations' capacity for innovation and self-determination, and I feel lucky to have met them.

This project is a reminder that Lambi Fund has much to gain from our partnership with rural grassroots groups. We are constantly learning from them and using those lessons to inform how we support new projects and evolve Lambi Fund's programmatic focus areas.

On my last full day in Haiti, we drove from the relatively quiet city of Ennery in the Artibonite back to hectic Port-au-Prince. The drive afforded me one more glimpse of all the activity that goes on every day in Haiti.

We passed expansive rice fields, where groups of neighbors were working together to care for each other's crops. We saw denuded mountainsides, stripped of all but a few trees and bushes. We drove through Saint-Marc, where people played on the beach and frolicked in the water.

We passed a funeral procession, and children walking to school, and women carrying huge loads in baskets on their heads. We saw people washing laundry in dirty rivers or bringing heavy containers of water from the nearest well back to their homes. All this, and much more, happens every day in Haiti.

As I reflect on all that I saw during my trip, I am reminded that, though Haiti is a complex place, life there goes on. I spend much of my time in the US talking about the major challenges the country faces, of which there are many, and it sometimes feels overwhelming. But my trip reminded me that the Haitian people are survivors.

Kate walking up the mountainous hillside to meet with KPM

With that in mind, the road ahead does not seem so daunting.

Vulnerabilities Continue to Impact Farming in Haiti: An Update on Post-Sandy Relief in Haiti

By Sarah Leavitt

It was a warm, sunny day in Les Cayes, Haiti. The city was bustling with activity – merchants hustling to sell their merchandise, moto taxis weaving in and out of traffic and school children with their cleanly pressed uniforms walking to and from school. Amidst this hustle and bustle, representatives from 14 grassroots organizations throughout southern Haiti filed into an airy meeting room. They were there to discuss life since October with the Lambi Fund of Haiti.

Last October, just before Hurricane Sandy moved on to batter the eastern coast of the United States, the storm cycle hit Haiti with days of unrelenting rain. While the brunt of the storm sidestepped the island, rains pounded the South for four days straight, resulting in widespread crop damage and loss of livestock. Haiti's Ministry of Agriculture estimated that 70-90% of planted agricultural crops were lost, resulting in severe food security concerns.

With these dire prospects in mind, Lambi Fund field staff mobilized 14 grassroots organizations to assess damage and to determine how best to respond.

Grassroots leader sharing with Lambi Fund his community's
woes Post-Sandy

As a result, emergency relief grants were provided to each of the organizations to purchase seeds and fertilizers needed to replant crops, to repair damaged irrigation canals and to replace animals lost in the storm. Now, on this sunny day in late February, Lambi Fund staff met with representatives from each of these organizations to discuss the impact of these relief grants.

A member of AFDL explained, "The emergency relief was an opportunity for us. Sandy was during the planting season, so we weren't prepared to repair the land. With this money we re-tilled the land. We planted again. Now we have corn, nuts, and black beans… we have begun harvesting." Another said that, "Lambi Fund provided support to our members when they weren't sure how they were going to undo the mess of Sandy. They helped us replant and start again."

As Lambi Fund staff sat and listened while representatives shared with the group how the emergency relief grants were used, it quickly became apparent that several vulnerabilities were making it difficult for farmers to move forward.

As an elderly member of ODRO shared with the group, "I remember when I was young hurricanes really shook the country - they were a rarity. At the age of 25 I'd only experienced two hurricanes. Now, we have them almost every year. I can tell you that Haitians are not a lazy group of people. Unfortunately though, it seems that every year there is an event that shakes the country more and more. The rains, the sun, the cholera… every event in our country is a hurricane."

Farming Difficulties Continue

The most troublesome news was that it has not rained since Hurricane Sandy. At the time of the meeting, it had been four straight months without rainfall. A member of TK-Bedo said, "After every hurricane there is a major drought. The land is dry and hard." He continued on to explain that, "When there is rain, it is guaranteed to flood. In January, everyone was ready to plant, but there was no rain. We continue to wait and wait and the rain never comes."

Crops in Haiti

One after another, grassroots leaders shared their woes regarding the drought. It seems that organizations located in areas near a river or with irrigation fared much better. Members were able to take the emergency relief grants, purchase seeds, make repairs and replant.

For those less fortunate organizations with no means to water their crops aside from rainfall, the outcomes were not as significant. Most were waiting to plant their crops until the rain arrived.

These types of circumstances are typical in Haiti. Living a life of poverty leaves Haitians open to numerous vulnerabilities. A degraded environment from years of deforestation leaves the soil devoid of nutrients essential for growing bountiful crops. Climate change is bringing unpredictable growing seasons and lowering crop yields. Farmers that lack access to irrigation canals and water pumps are at the mercy and unreliability of rainfall. High interest loans with untenable loan requirements tie hardworking Haitians to a never ending cycle of debt.

It is a compounding of circumstances like these that has lessened the overall impact of Lambi Fund's emergency relief. While the Lambi Fund of Haiti clearly would have desired to see more marked impacts, this meeting has required the organization to take a long, hard look at its efforts and realize that life in Haiti is changing. Each and every day life gets harder and the multitude of struggles that rural Haitians face continues to mount. 

Members of OFJ in front of one of their goat pens

This hard reality is what makes Lambi Fund's partnerships with grassroots organizations so important. As an organization, Lambi Fund realizes that it will never have, nor should it have the capacity to address the myriad of issues that leave communities vulnerable and make development in Haiti difficult. It is in the face of these vulnerabilities, however, that Lambi Fund recognizes the ever present importance of communities uniting, working together and calling on the government to make changes that will benefit the greater whole of society.

This is why Lambi Fund's work to strengthen organizational capacities and teach civil rights is an irreplaceable part of its efforts. Providing communities with the tools they need to respond to changing needs, problem solve and advocate for change in their community will be an integral part to advancing Haitian's quality of life.

"The rains, the sun, the cholera…every event in our country is a hurricane"

Take the Women's Organization of Jabwen (OFJ). Every year there is an event that shakes the country more and more. A member said, "At first, our husbands would always ask, ‘Why are you part of that organization? It takes up too much time.' Then we became partners with Lambi Fund [for goat breeding efforts] and they began to see our projects and the impact. Now our husbands will ask, ‘What are you doing home? Go to your meeting!' They see the value of our work and want to be organized too."

Organizations like OFJ are an exemplary model of what can be done when communities unite and go beyond the work of an individual. This group has gone beyond just this project to launch numerous efforts that are working to strengthen the community. When organizations like OFJ transcend unitary efforts to address a number of initiatives, the true power of being united is realized.

So, in the short-term, as communities continue to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Sandy, the true rebuilding continues as local organizations work to improve their communities and strengthen their voice.

Looking Back: Three Years Later

Tomorrow is the day that marks three years since the earthquake shook the ground we walk on and forever changed the face of Haiti.  While it is much easier to look at the stumbles, falls and steps backwards that have been taken since the earthquake, I am thinking differently.  I am thinking instead about cumulative gain.

In spite of it all, when I look at the Lambi Fund of Haiti’s programs and talk with Lambi Fund’s program partners, I see progress and I see hope.

I see an organization that has more than doubled its projects since 2010.  I see communities that have transformed the way they care for their environment.  I see farmers growing more food and I see small merchants increasing their incomes and providing for their families.

In the past three years, Lambi Fund has worked hand-in-hand with 32 grassroots organizations and over 6,100 members throughout Haiti to provide them with not only the tools and resources they need to get back on their feet, but to help build a solid foundation for years to come.  

When you take the time to zoom in and look at specific communities and families, you will find substantial efforts that indicate change is coming.  Since the earthquake:

• Three grain mills have been built that are providing entire communities with low-cost and high-quality milling services.  These mills have become commercial centers in their communities and 708 members of local organizations are working to manage and maintain the mills so that they are open for years to come.
• Five ox-plow services have been launched that are plowing more land and increasing crop outputs - benefiting 276 members and numerous farmers in their communities.
• Five goat breeding projects are being managed by 900 organization members who built pens, fenced in grazing areas, and learned how to breed the animals for a reliable source of income.
• 634 members built three grain storage and seed banks that are allowing communities to store grains for the offseason and to sell local and organic seeds to farmers.
• 17 community credit funds have been created impacting more than 2,200 members.  These locally managed funds are providing low-interest loans to rural Haitians so that they can invest in small-business enterprises and purchase more seeds and tools so that they can grow more food.
• One tool bank was established providing 50 members and nearby locals with access to tools needed for farmers to work their fields more efficiently.
• 44 members worked with Lambi Fund to launch one sheep breeding enterprise, which is allowing families to steadily increase their incomes.
• In partnership with Lambi Fund, 89 members built and are managing a sugar cane mill that is transforming abundant sugarcane crops into more lucrative sugarcane syrup.
• Three coffee cooperatives are enabling 1,548 members to grow more coffee and to process the beans into market-ready coffee.
• 32 grassroots organizations have worked with Lambi Fund to build community-led nurseries and have planted hundreds of thousands of tree seedlings throughout Haiti’s countryside.
• One irrigation canal is providing 150 farmers in an arid region of the country with a consistent source of water for their crops.

Despite these incredible triumphs, our work is by no means finished.  Everyone at Lambi Fund is looking forward to 2013 with newfound determination.  While we believe the tangible outcomes of these projects like increased incomes are important, it is the strengthening coalition of grassroots organizations that is slowly changing the tide.  Entire communities are seeing that they have the capacity, know-how and will to successfully manage community-led enterprises.   Through this, Haitians are realizing that, together, anything is possible. 

And with that, I leave you with this call to action in 2013: may we work harder, come together more than ever before and strive to build a Haiti that is just, fair and rich in love.  Let us do this in the name and remembrance of all loved ones lost on that fateful day on January 12, 2010.

Onward,

Marie Marthe Saint Cyr

Executive Director

The Lambi Fund of Haiti

Hurricane Sandy Emergency Relief UPDATE

December 19, 2012 - The Lambi Fund of Haiti's efforts to respond to Hurricane Sandy has been swift.  Field Monitors in both the North and South have met with community organizations throughout the country to asses damages.  Unfortunately, the impact of Sandy is proving to be quite severe.  Widespread loss of crops and livestock has been reported, rainwater cisterns and irrigation canals were damaged and tree seedlings planted for reforestation efforts have washed away.  Lambi Fund staff members also estimate that the overall pace of projects, organizational capacity, and economic conditions in these communities will be negatively affected.  

As such, Lambi Fund has been working with community organizations throughout the country since the storm.  So far, 13 grassroots organizations have been provided emergency relief grants.  These grants are going straight to Haitians hit by the storm to help:

• Rapidly replant crops to increase their resilience to the famine that experts predict will occur in Haiti within the next few months
• Accommodate short-term family needs
• Allow the organization’s community-run enterprises to get back on track
• Prepare soil for planting
• Repair irrigation canals as necessary 
• Purchase seeds that do not require a long time to harvest (such as beans, vegetables and corn)
• Groups with animal husbandry projects will also be provided with funding to replace lost livestock 

In addition to this, Lambi Fund’s field monitors have been in contact with over 50 other community organizations that may qualify for similar emergency relief.  Once initial assessments are complete, these groups will be provided with the resources necessary to get back on their feet as well.

For each and every one of you that donated to Lambi Fund's emergency relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy, a very big mesi ampil  is in order.  Your support is helping Lambi Fund respond swiftly and appropriately to communities in need.  Hopefully through concentrated efforts like these, we can work to help curb the impending food crisis as much as possible and keep impoverished Haitians’ incomes flowing.

Lambi Fund Releases its 2009 Annual Report

23 September 2010- The Lambi Fund of Haiti's 2009 Annual Report is finally here!  2009 was a very busy year for Lambi Fund as 12 new projects began and over 50,000 individuals were impacted.  Continued work in over 30 communities on 20 sustainable development projects throughout Haiti focused on the following program initiatives:

- Sustainable Agriculture

- Community Microcredit

- Animal Husbandry

- Environment

- Organizational and Leadership Training

The Lambi Fund of Haiti's 'Million Tree Campaign' is building momentum as over 300,000 fruit and forest trees were planted throughout Haiti in community-led reforestation efforts.  Lambi Fund held four regional conferences on sustainable agriculture, gender equity and leadership training.  These workshops represented an important opportunity to provide peasant leaders with the tools needed to effectively impact change in their communities.

From everyone here at Lambi Fund, 2009 was a truly inspirational year.  Work with organized communities, effective grassroots groups, and empowered men and women throughout rural Haiti continue to be the driving force behind our work.  Please take the time to read Lambi Fund's 2009 Annual Report (also available in a PDF file) as I'm sure you will find our annual breakdown to be an engaging read.  The Annual Report provides you with a breakdown of all of Lambi Fund's new projects in 2009, examples of holistic approaches to community development, financial reports and how organizational and leadership training is changing the face of Haiti.

Most importantly: a VERY big thank you to all of our supporters in 2009....grassroots change comes from engaged individuals like YOU. 

Mesi, mesi!