Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port-au-Prince (Agenzia Fides) – “In the face of this grave situation, we cannot sit back with our arms crossed.” This was the opening statement made in a solidarity campaign launched by Caritas Haiti, in order to offer support to 20,000 families living in extreme poverty in the country, suffering the effects of the food crisis. For several decades now, Haiti has held the unfortunate record as the poorest country of the Americas. It is also among the top ten poorest countries in the world. Evidence of this is the fact that the average life expectancy is 51 years and that 60% of children under 5 years of age suffer from anemia.
Haiti, a country that imports 53% of its food products in feeding its 8 million inhabitants, was the site of violent protests in the streets last April due to the sharp rise in food costs (see Fides 17/4/2008). In addition, as Caritas Haiti’s director, Father Serge Chadic, explains, the situation has worsened over the past few months, as a result of “damage caused by hurricanes Dean and Noel in November 2007, the rigorous implementation of measures imposed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and the government's immobility in taking necessary measures.” The lack of food products has caused drastic situations during this crisis. Many farming families were forced to eat the seeds they had set aside for the following planting season, thus a decline in production is expected to occur.
The nine Catholic dioceses in the country are in need of 1,800,000 Euros in order to carry out this ambitious plan that hopes to provide 20,000 families with 1 year’s worth of first-aid supplies (through the Caritas parish groups), distribution of 10,000 tools and seed kits to the poorest farmers, and offer loans to small businesses of cattle-raising and agricultural warehousing and sales. Part of this intervention includes the rehabilitation of irrigation systems and drainage systems in several of the poorest areas. Caritas Haiti has already received 100,000 Euros from Caritas Spain, in addition to other donations from its Swiss and Chilean counterparts. Caritas Haiti was established by the Bishops in that country in 1975 and currently works in three main fields: agriculture, health, and “solidarity financing.”
The diocesan Caritas groups, in response to the critical situation that followed the storms this past November that ruined a large part of the crops and with aid from Caritas Spain, bought and distributed seeds for the local farmers. The farming families, for their part, promised to make a return of seeds once they had collected the harvest from their fields. In this manner, the seed bank would be available to others in need.
In the health field, the public health system in Haiti is practically non-existent and the great majority of its 8 million inhabitants cannot pay for their treatments in private hospitals. In order to meet this need, many parishes have organized health committees that organize preventative education courses and run mobile clinics that offer basic services in small towns and villages.
The parishes also offer “solidarity financing,” low-interest loans for families with little economic resources so that they can give their small businesses a boost or purchase tools. The interest is about 1% per month and normally they are paid back in three or four months. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 09/07/2008)
