The past quarter has been marked by special challenges in working in community development. Five villages in the Thomassique area of Plateau Central, Haiti, are in the process of reinforcing their capacities as a community with the assistance of World Renew through the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti and funding from Lakeside Church in Michigan.

Five villages in the Thomassique area of Plateau Central, Haiti, are in the process of reinforcing their capacities as a community with the assistance of World Renew through the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti and funding from Lakeside Church in Michigan.

These initiatives were first launched by the CRC-Haiti as catalysts to involve the leaders of the community to work together to the most pressing needs, such as taking prevention measures against cholera and building latrines. The leaders of the CRC-Haiti committed to opening themselves to the community, not only by integrating together all of the various levels of the project, but also by sharing this vision among leaders from the community itself.

The response from the five villages was positive. The members participated in planning a latrine construction project including the determination of criteria for beneficiary selection and the nature of their contribution. A literacy class has been established in Fort Kajou, as there was none in this area to satisfy the needs for young adults. Another project that is helping parents get birth certificates for their children is well on its way, with the participants deciding which age groups to be targeted and which problems regarding birth certificates should be addressed.

The process of building ownership for the projects, the most sensitive aspect of this intervention, is very promising. The community, represented by farmer’s associations, women’s associations, church members, and community influencers, has already met many times. Conducting a participatory evaluation of community resources has been an interesting process for everyone.

A few weeks ago, our new agronomist, who has just joined the World Renew staff in Port-au-Prince, led a session that helped everyone assess the resources available to the farmers in the area to help them build and plan for better food security. It is through these workshops that members of the community get to know each other better and discuss and develop a common vision for their own community.

Later, they will be able to initiate their own projects based on their vision and take the leadership of the implementation. We are very grateful for the leadership provided by the community development team at the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti, especially Edouarnus Estivil and Pastor Anery.

Another challenge we would like to take up is continuing to organize the farmers in Leogane, a project that was initiated by World Renew’s livelihood program. Twenty-two associations of farmers were assisted through this project. Some of them lived in the area before the project started and others arrived because of it. This organizing aspect was the most durable component of the intervention with potential to bring a better future to the communities we reached. They are still weak, and it would be a waste to let their potential for development remain untapped because of a lack of support. We are in the process of designing a continuity plan with these associations, and we are looking for funding partners in this important venture. Our plan is to help them reinforce their organizational capacities and achieve the level of a federation, strong enough to face their mission to provide food for their families and their population.

Prayer requests:

• Pray for the community of Thomassique.
• Pray for the World Renew team as we look for ways and funds to assist further the associations of farmers in Leogane.
   

Lunise Cerin-Jules

Country Consultant
World Renew Haiti