Jean Mirvil recently was elected President of OPODNE by 100 delegates from across the Northeast District. He formerly was the principal of a middle school in Brooklyn, planning someday to retire to his native Haiti. Then he was invited to…
Grand Bassin OPODNE leaders numbering at 75 have begun a successful chicken cooperative, selling their first 200 chickens. These sales generated a growing demand for more chickens. Co-op members re-invested some of their profits to build new pens on land…
Dufene Bendel relates the tragic history of Phaeton, formerly a thriving community supported by the sisal industry. Families had healthy livestock, horses and successful farms, and the town had its own airport. When the US pulled out in the 1980s,…
After two years of formation, hundreds of leaders from 13 communities will gather to formally launch OPODNE to address the issues afflicting the Northeast Department of Haiti. They will elect officers and advance strategies for development. Workshops on economic development…
OPODNE leaders from Capotille (pictured above) are exploring how to start a peanut cooperative. They met with the head of a local peanut processing plant to research a potential partnership with farmers to grow peanuts. In addition, Haiti Director Francois…
Haiti’s national government has formally recognized OPODNE as a legitimate organization capable of undertaking improvement projects in the Northeast District. This recognition triggered a series of meetings with mayors from Capotille, Onenemithe and Phaeton, along with various NGOs seeking partners…
Fr. John Baumann, PICO Founder, and Ron Snyder, Director of International Organizing, conducted a five day site visit with clergy and leaders who are building the PICO effort in Haiti. Leaders from Organisation Peuple Œcuménique du Nord-Est (OPODNE) Local Organizing…
In July, the steering committee of the People’s Ecumenical Organization of the Northeast Department (OPODNE), held their first leadership retreat, led by PICO consultant Francois Pierre-Louis. Founding OPODNE members worked together to learn more about PICO principles, finalize a budget…
