Signs of Hope in an Area Devastated by Colonial History

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, the Duvalier government sacked the village, destroyed the factories and now it is one of the poorest communities in Haiti. Like other parts of the country, Phaeton is home to the very old and the very young, with most working age adults migrating to the Dominican Republic to make a living. OPODNE is working to change this story. With training, the Local Organizing Committee and 50 families formed a fishing cooperative. They used a small investment to purchase a boat and named it PICO. They are now renting the boat to fishermen who are able to catch enough to sell locally. When they solve the problem of refrigeration, they will be able to sell their fish to more profitable markets.