I returned last week from an excellent trip to Haiti. The idea was to iron out shipping procedures, meet with the coffee growers to evaluate the project so far, and see what our next steps will be. We got a good sense of what we will need to do for shipping, and anticipate testing the system this fall. That is, if the road between Port-au-Prince, the capital, and Les Cayes, the nearest city to where the growers are, gets repaired. It is currently covered with water from the recent flooding. If there is a road, then we feel prettyconfident we will be able to get a good-sized shipment in time for Christmas sales.
Check our website regularly (www.justhaiti.org), or sign up for our mailing list, if you are interested in buying the coffee for Christmas. We will have special packages and cards and all kinds of things!
The evaluation from the farmers was awesome. They talked about the importance of the training we gave them, and also of the agronomist we hired to work with them.They have put into practice new production and processing methods, which has led to increased yield and higher quality beans. They are now no longer using the "fermentation" method of processing, but the wet method common to most coffee purchased in the export market. I tried it...it is really good!
But the wet method is very labor intensive, and so now they want the machines that will make it easier. We are planningto give them a no-interest loan to purchase the machines, once everyone figures out the cost and how to get them there. We are trying to raise money for our loan fund right now as well.
For me, the trip was really rewarding. The growers referred to the project as "God's grace." I felt so proud to have started something that they perceive of as God's grace. I was also proud that in the mission statement of their association, they wrote that they want to improve their own situation, but also the situation of their neighbors. They are returning generosity with generosity. I was also excited to see how empowering the formation of the association has been for them. They talked about how they are developing relationships with each other that they never had before, sharing ideas, meeting regularly, and working together for a common goal. It is awesome to be a part of this, and I know that many of you who receive my emails are also a part of it. I hope that in reading this you also feel proud of what you are doing and the difference we are making in this little corner of Haiti.
I know that many of you are wondering how hard they were hit by the hurricanes and flooding. Baraderes was flooded, worse than usual, I think. (As many of you know, the river in Baraderes floods after every major storm.) By the time I got there it was a sea of mud, but the waters had receded from most of the town. The rivers were still very high, and the ground saturated, and there was widespread fear of a malaria epidemic. I know that there is some emergency aid flowing into Haiti, but I doubt much of it will get to isolated Baraderes.
I often think about how much emergency aid has flowed into Haiti over the years, and how little it has accomplished. After 50 years of international relief, Haiti is still the poorest country in the world. I feel very confident that projects like ours are a better solution. We want people to gain the self-sufficiency needed in order to build their own infrastructure and take care of their own medical needs. Relief leads to dependence, and people seem to lose the ability to come up with their own solutions.
It is one of the most exciting things about our coffee project: for the first time, these growers have hope for their own futures. They are planning for themselves, and talking about how they will use their newly-earned income. They never had any reason to hope before, because no-one was ever willing to invest in them. Investment is a lot different than relief.
Check our website regularly (www.justhaiti.org), or sign up for our mailing list, if you are interested in buying the coffee for Christmas. We will have special packages and cards and all kinds of things!
The evaluation from the farmers was awesome. They talked about the importance of the training we gave them, and also of the agronomist we hired to work with them.They have put into practice new production and processing methods, which has led to increased yield and higher quality beans. They are now no longer using the "fermentation" method of processing, but the wet method common to most coffee purchased in the export market. I tried it...it is really good!
But the wet method is very labor intensive, and so now they want the machines that will make it easier. We are planningto give them a no-interest loan to purchase the machines, once everyone figures out the cost and how to get them there. We are trying to raise money for our loan fund right now as well.
For me, the trip was really rewarding. The growers referred to the project as "God's grace." I felt so proud to have started something that they perceive of as God's grace. I was also proud that in the mission statement of their association, they wrote that they want to improve their own situation, but also the situation of their neighbors. They are returning generosity with generosity. I was also excited to see how empowering the formation of the association has been for them. They talked about how they are developing relationships with each other that they never had before, sharing ideas, meeting regularly, and working together for a common goal. It is awesome to be a part of this, and I know that many of you who receive my emails are also a part of it. I hope that in reading this you also feel proud of what you are doing and the difference we are making in this little corner of Haiti.
I know that many of you are wondering how hard they were hit by the hurricanes and flooding. Baraderes was flooded, worse than usual, I think. (As many of you know, the river in Baraderes floods after every major storm.) By the time I got there it was a sea of mud, but the waters had receded from most of the town. The rivers were still very high, and the ground saturated, and there was widespread fear of a malaria epidemic. I know that there is some emergency aid flowing into Haiti, but I doubt much of it will get to isolated Baraderes.
I often think about how much emergency aid has flowed into Haiti over the years, and how little it has accomplished. After 50 years of international relief, Haiti is still the poorest country in the world. I feel very confident that projects like ours are a better solution. We want people to gain the self-sufficiency needed in order to build their own infrastructure and take care of their own medical needs. Relief leads to dependence, and people seem to lose the ability to come up with their own solutions.
It is one of the most exciting things about our coffee project: for the first time, these growers have hope for their own futures. They are planning for themselves, and talking about how they will use their newly-earned income. They never had any reason to hope before, because no-one was ever willing to invest in them. Investment is a lot different than relief.
