The Joan Rose Foundation provides both food and educational support for children at three centers in Jacmel.
By Shae Davidson
Children in Haiti face complex challenges stemming from economic, political, and climate-related factors. Grassroots organizations have been working to help children during this time of crisis. Through programs that meet the nutritional needs of children and help young people find their place in a changing country, these groups are working to build stronger communities and offer hope.
Haiti’s economic underdevelopment began with its independence. The United States and European nations were reluctant to recognize a republic created by formerly enslaved people. Sanctions followed by exploitative interventions in the twentieth century undermined development. Instability and lack of opportunity fueled a wave of emigration to the U.S. and Latin America. Today, Haiti stands out as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
Haiti’s food system reflects the nation’s complex role in the global economy. Following the 2010 earthquake, subsidized crops provided by the U.S. undercut the profits of Haitian farmers, driving farm families to cities. Covid-19 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine increased food prices. Prices of staple foods are 30 to 70 percent higher in Haiti than in other Caribbean nations. Droughts in 2014 and 2015 reduced crop yields by more than half in Sud-Est department. Climate-related flooding in 2023 destroyed crops and damaged infrastructure. Following the assassination of President Moïs, violence in Artibonite department–the breadbasket of Haiti–forced farmers to abandon fields. “The situation is creating a child health and nutrition crisis that could cost the lives of countless children,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell has warned. “Thousands of children are on the brink … This malnutrition crisis is entirely human made.”
A nation’s history, of course, is more than its challenges, and Haiti’s past offers models of collaborative, community-based actions that have inspired people working to improve the lives of children. Jean Casimir, Haiti’s former ambassador to the United Nations, has written passionately about rural communal collectives that nurtured a vibrant sense of shared identity and hope in The Haitians: A Decolonial History and other works. These groups helped buffer small communities from the effects of larger economic forces.
Aid groups working closely with Haitian community members have used this ideal of local action to respond to complex problems in dynamic ways. In Sud-Est department, a group of women-led cooperatives have started to rehabilitate farmland and work closely with schools to improve child nutrition. This integration increases a sense of community ownership and helps rebuild Haiti’s food system on a local level. Research into farmer-led sustainable agriculture cooperatives in northern Haiti have shown similar promise.
This collaborative model offers a path to meet the immediate physical needs of young Haitians while strengthening their sense of community engagement. BGR has been fortunate enough to help groups who have adopted this nurturing, cooperative approach.
BGR has been supporting the work of the Trees That Feed Foundation since 2014. Trees That Feed’s Haitian chapter provided emergency aid following the 2021 earthquake. Pierre-Moise Louis, a baker and operator of a breadfruit nursery, surveyed the damage and retooled his business to help those in need. He supplied food directly to local charities, as well as families who walked up to two hours to reach him. Trees That Feed’s close relationship to individual community members and charities has given it an intuitive sense of the needs and resources of the people it serves.
The Joan Rose Foundation, another BGR partner in Haiti, offers young people the chance to participate in dance and boxing classes as a way to build confidence. As violence spread, support from BGR helped it expand its afterschool programs to provide an alternative to gang activity.
Na Rive’s Lamanjay Food program, with support from BGR partner the What If Foundation, has provided food to school children in Port-au-Prince. Planners moved to include more nutritional and educational support for children as public schools closed and began offering emergency food for displaced families. Lavarice Gaudin, the late director of Na Rive, saw the program as a sanctuary, explaining, “When dark times lie ahead, we must carry on with hope and love in our hearts. The programs we run … provide a constant place of relief and welcoming for the children and families in Ti Plas Kazo. Our programs provide opportunity, support, and are a beacon of hope.” Over the past quarter-century, children have received the support they needed to succeed in school and returned as adults to help the community, fighting the emigration “brain drain” that has plagued Haiti since the twentieth century.
The Art Creation Foundation for Children (ACFFC), a long-time BGR partner, aims “to build a passionate community of future leaders, visionaries, and dynamic thinkers who are empowered to better their lives and their world through the arts and education.” The foundation views its beneficiaries as partners, explaining, “by working alongside parents and families and involving them in our mission, we assure that the mission is not lost when our students go home. Little by little, we are changing the way people think, and the reach goes beyond just the students in our program.” The group’s work improves the wellness of participants while emphasizing their connection to Jacmel, improving the chances that children will remain in the area as they build lives as adults.
The foundation wants children to be “global thinkers” who understand the challenges and possibilities they face, and the group has expanded its activities to meet this goal. ACFFC offers meals to schoolchildren as well as vocational training and academic support. The foundation recently added internet access for students, and is working to bring solar power and water purification projects to the families it serves.
June of 2024 saw the creation of a new national government led by Prime Minister Garry Conille, previously a regional director for UNICEF. In his inaugural address, Conille pledged to help the most vulnerable groups in Haiti as he works to stabilize the country. Projects that support children’s long-term development will play key roles in restoring civil society.
The willingness to embrace cooperative action and respect local experiences offers a way forward for groups working to help children in Haiti. It has guided aid groups as they envision new ways of engaging with people in need, and parallels Buddhist Global Relief’s ideals of respect and collaboration. By working together to understand the complex roots of current issues as well as the rich, nuanced histories of the responses people have crafted, BGR and its partners can support children during this time of change.
Dr. Shae Davidson’s research has explored the importance of inclusive community partnerships in building food systems. He has served as a member of the Creative Synthesis Collaborative and a fellow at the Contemporary History Institute, and has worked to develop food justice programs in the Midwest.
