LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMS
People who live in the communities served by the clinic are, for the most part, subsistence farmers, trying to grow enough crops on their land to sustain their families.
Goat Program
Many rural Haitians also raise animals such as chickens, goats, pigs and cattle, in order to have additional income when needed for schooling of their children, illnesses, clothing and home repairs. The more productive their land is, the better harvests they’ll have and the better fed are their families, likewise for their animals. When they’re well fed and cared for, they get better prices at the market and the family is better off.
In late 2018 FHH began a Goat Program as part of an overall effort to strengthen rural Haitian families and provide livelihood support to them. Through a partnership with Dr. Nancy Willerton, a veterinarian in Denver, CO and Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church in SC, we chose 25 families in each of 4 communities close to the clinic as participants (Gatineau, Duchene, Fraise and Nouvelette).
Each recipient family was given two female goats which were bought in local markets. Then, two male goats, from an improved breed, were provided to each community for breeding. In return, each family agreed to give back two goats that can then be given to other community members or to a nearby community, ensuring that livelihood assistance spreads from one area to another.
Each community chose two young men to be supervisors of the program, recording information about each female goat, her breeding, pregnancies and offspring. Vaccinations are provided annually with mobile veterinary clinics conducted every three months to give vitamins, anti-parasitic medications and to treat any medical problems in the goats.
After eight years, the initial Goat Program is now in its fourth generation with each generation serving 20-25 families in each of the 4 original recipient communities. Over 300 families are now benefitting from this program, using offspring goats to put their children through school, provide for household needs, medical and other emergencies and house repairs. We are now in the process of turning the program over to these initial communities to run themselves, as they help us continue to expand our outreach of livelihood service.
The first Goat Program was so successful and well received by the rural Haitian communities that we decided to start it again from scratch in May 2023 in 4 new communities: Morvan, Menat, Malety and Yaya. Thanks to generous donations from Rotary Clubs in Canada, this second program is now in its second generation, reaching over 150 families with livelihood support. Two supervisors in each community keep track of each female goat that is donated in the program, recording births of offspring, deaths of the mothers and offspring, when offspring goats are sold and when they’re paid back to the program. All of this data is entered into spreadsheets by our Community Development staff and we use this information to calculate yearly statistics for the program. The average mortality rate for offspring goats is around 20%, much lower than most other Goat Programs, thanks to the work of our staff and local veterinary technician who gives routine immunizations, worm medicine, vitamins and treatment for illnesses. Our staff conduct quarterly veterinary clinics in each of our Goat Program communities, working to keep the goats healthy so they can be of future benefit to the recipient families. Funding for veterinary meds and stipends for our Goat Supervisors comes from our Goat Program designated fund.
In March 2026 we started our third Goat Program, this time involving 6 communities high up in the mountains above our clinic site (Delion, Segnette, Milfort/Choran, Campagne, Dibarasse and Charlette). These are communities where we already have our Community Promoters working and they spoke often to us about the livelihood needs of their communities. So, for the past few weeks, our community development staff and other community members have been busy buying 300 female goats to give to 25 families in each of the 6 communities with 2 male goats purchased for each community to use for breeding. Two vet techs, our staff and the Goat Program supervisors have conducted veterinary clinics in each community, putting on ear tags and giving the goats their vaccines and medications. It’s a wonderful program and the new goat recipients are thrilled!
Agriculture Program
Due to significant food insecurity following the earthquake that occurred in the Jérémie area in August 2021, we decided to begin an Agriculture Program as another aspect of our Livelihood Programs. We selected 6 rural communities that are high up in the mountains to receive black bean seeds for planting in the three planting cycles they have each year. 100 farmers in each of 2 communities were chosen each planting season to receive 5 cans of bean seeds. The only requirement we made of the farmers was that they needed to attend an educational session prior to being given the seeds and they needed to let us know how many beans they harvested and what they did with the beans (ate, sold or replanted). In January 2022 the communities of Segnette and Milfort received beans, Charlette and Dibarasse in June 2022 and Delion and Campagne in October 2022.
Ten teams of two went out several times a week for 3-4 weeks to purchase 1000 cans of beans (50 sacks) in local markets. The sacks of beans were then stored in local homes until the time of distribution. An educational session was led by our Community Coordinator, Gemi, and agronomist Wilton, with the assistance of our Community Promoters. After the session, every farmer who had been chosen by a committee of community leaders received his/her beans.
When the beans were harvested, the average amount harvested by each of the 600 farmers was 11 cans (from the 5 cans that were planted). 55% of farmers ate some of the harvested beans, 64% sold some, 88% planted some and 11% used some to pay for school for their children. Overall, it was a very successful year for beans and the farmers were grateful for our help in being able to plant.
2023 was a year of severe drought in the Jérémie area so we did not distribute bean seeds to any communities. By the end of the year rains came and the bean harvest was good so in January 2024 we began to purchase bean seeds once again. In January, June and October 2024 we distributed 4 cans of bean seeds to 125 farmers in each of 6 communities, with a training session prior to distribution of the seeds. The harvests were good and families benefitted from the livelihood support the seeds provided.
Our community development staff found that the local farmers were very interested in agriculture education, participating in their training sessions even if they weren’t receiving seeds. So, in 2025 we decided to hold agricultural seminars for local farmers in 6 mountain communities, equipping them with hands-on agricultural knowledge and techniques to help improve their farming practices and productivity. More than 300 farmers attended each seminar, demonstrating the strong interest and commitment of these communities to learning and growth. Each session concluded with a hot meal, providing an opportunity for fellowship and strengthening relationships among participants.
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