Haiti: Mothers fight to feed their families

“We have not been deterred by the loss of Inter-American Foundation funding for our agricultural campaign.” – Florcie Tyrell, OPODHA Executive Director

In North and Northeast Haiti, Florcie Lareche Tyrell and Marie Denise Neres Sainte Fleur are two mothers leading powerful community organizing. They know that, with the right support, their communities can feed themselves and control their destiny.

When OPODHA learned of IAF funding cut, they pressed ahead. Using the first (and potentially last) $55,000 installment, they purchased pumps and seeds for farmers in 22 communities. With help from the St. Barnabas Agricultural Center, they delivered the pumps and trained farmers how to use them. Leaders committed to konbit –pooling their labor and resources – to plant, tend, and harvest crops. Even without compensation, agronomists from St. Barnabas agreed to accompany these farmer collectives with needed expertise,.

OPODHA has also expanded its agricultural campaign to another dozen communities, giving people tools and confidence to plant, so they can feed their families and neighbors.

Thanks to your solidarity and the efforts of many others the effort to dismantle IAF has been paused, although funding is still frozen. And thanks to 37 donors who donated $24,850, OPODHA is making up for part of the $217,500 in lost funding, helping small-scale farmers grow crops and fight hunger.

From all the moms and families of OPODHA: Thank You!