LA GONAVE HAITI PARTNERS INC

The La Gonâve Haiti Partnership is a community development partnership between the people of La Gonâve, the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti and the United States Partners. We work together on:
Education
Healthcare
Nutrition
Agriculture
Water
Economic Opportunity

It is our practice to partner with Haitian organizations based in Haiti and employ Haitians whenever possible. This helps build human capacity and foster sustainable growth in Haiti.

Development is done in partnership with the people of La Gonâve, employing local people and using locally made goods and materials. While US partners identify resources and often provide workshops and educational opportunities, the projects themselves belong to the people of La Gonâve. This addresses the issue of economic development in a way that traditional aid does not --by building sustainable communities and an educated workforce.

Our commitment is to accompany the people of La Gonâve, Haiti on their journey to economic independence.

Our goal is to support the development of their capabilities so they can improve their lives though better health care, education, and economic opportunity.

To the extent possible, we collaborate with other NGOs and organizations in Haiti and on the island of La Gonâve to avoid duplication of services and implement "best practice" strategies. We believe in providing training and continuing education for the Haitians in charge of critical programs that build human capacity. In addition, we strive to maintain relationships through ongoing communications. In a typical year, U.S. teams visit the island approximately 18-20 times/year to continue conversations about what programs are working, what barriers and challenges need to be addressed, and new strategies to try. With the 2020 pandemic and the ongoing gang violence in Haiti over the last 18 months, these visits have not been possible. To ensure these conversations continue, communications via "What's App", virtual conferences involving U.S. and Haitian partners, and written reports of program activities sent via email by the Haitian leadership have been effective in tracking program outcomes.

For over 30 years, La Gonâve Haiti Partnership has worked closely with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti and the Episcopal Priest in charge of the parish of St. Francois d'Assise on La Gonave. The Partnership includes 19 U.S. church partners (Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Anglican, Methodist) located in 7 states and over 500 individual, corporate, and other nonprofit donors. One church partner primarily supports the Bill Rice Community Health Center and its initiatives; all other church partners works closely with one of 10 communities building relationships between churches and communities in support of multiple community-based programs. These programs include schools, school lunch programs, adult literacy programs; healthcare outreach through community health workers, matrones, and mobile prenatal and medical clinics; economic development programs through microcredit loans and goat & agricultural projects; and infrastructure projects. Infrastructure programs include support for building churches and schools, latrines, cisterns, and repairing and maintaining existing structures. We research and locate in-country resources and provide funding and human resources to assist with these projects. All projects occur at the direction and under the leadership of the Haitian communities. All employed staff involved in these projects are Haitian staff.

Over the past 3 years, there has been much progress made in each of the 4 major program areas. In spite of the violence and chaos on mainland Haiti, schools on la Gonâve have remained open during the 2022-2023 academic year with almost 1600 children and youth enrolled in 11 schools. A new middle school, which has been under construction for the last 2 and 1/2 years opened in September 2022 with its first class of 7th grade students. Construction of the school continues to include classrooms for 8th and 9th graders, a computer room/library, and water access. The adult literacy program has grown in number of participants and number of communities involved to over 400 students, and the curriculum has expanded from Creole and basic French to include higher levels of French, and mathematics. The Bill Rice Community Health Center, a Ministry of Health designated site for the training of physicians, continues to provide basic primary care services and outreach to a larger percentage of the population with increased emphasis on outreach to pregnant women and children 1-3 years of age at risk for malnutrition. In 2022, renovations of the clinic resulted in expansion of services to include an Urgent Care/Trauma room. Training of community health care workers and matrones occurs monthly, and during the 2021-2022 school year, cholera prevention education was conducted with each school by the medical staff. Economic development opportunities continue for residents of la Gonâve. The number of individuals receiving microcredit loans has increased with distribution expanded to new communities. One of the most successful and longest running programs has been the goat program. This program has generated both a revenue stream and critical food source for hundreds of families across la Gonâve. The program was expanded in 2020 to include a "Kid for a Kid" program using an established curriculum where a child of the neediest family receives a kid goat to care for and raise. In December 2022, 45 new kid goats were distributed to children in each of 9 rural communities. Last, a number of infrastructure projects have begun, others are nearing completion, and still others have been completed over the last several years. These have included new classrooms, school playgrounds, kitchens, cisterns, latrines, security walls, a church, and a worship pavilion. Again, all projects are the result of the collaboration between US and Haitian partners with community- and parish-based leadership providing coordination and tracking of all project activities and outcomes.