Haiti – Hundreds of OPODNE leaders to gather to fight hunger by strengthening small-scale agriculture in Northeast Haiti

“Let’s plant today to feed ourselves tomorrow” is the theme for the OPODNE General Assembly where 300 OPODNE leaders representing 23 communities will press local mayors, department level ministers, USAID and NGO leadership to support policies needed to help farmers feed their own families and move Haiti toward food self-sufficiency.

The OPODNE platform for sustainable agriculture was shaped by listening to more than 4,000 farmers. Hundreds of community members then gathered in community assemblies to vote on priorities for supporting small farmers. They also elected their own local leadership team and representatives to the OPODNE board. OPODNE leaders are providing a model for effective democratic governance, amid government dysfunction and corruption.

While OPODNE continues to inspire confidence in local communities, model good governance, and grow, a sister effort is rising in the North Department. Newly hired organizer, Jhonson Saintilaire, has begun meeting with and convening clergy in towns in North Haiti. “I am happy with the work we are doing,” says Dubois Sinsmy, Pastor of Eglise Baptiste Maranatha and President of the Ligue des Pasteurs in Limonade.