Haiti Nov. 2009

By -
Today finds me back in Haiti anticipating the multitude of meetings we have lined up with potential funders for several rabbit production projects. Herve and I have been also discussing chocolate production. He has been buying cacao beans and making chocolate bars. This last week in San Francisco I met with the staff of TCHO chocolate (www.tcho.com) and learned about the fermentation and transformation of cacao into chocolate. Someday Herve is hoping that TCHO will purchase beans from Makouti. Haiti is bustling with activity. There is a Sof'n free shampoo promotional event going on at the Roi Christophe Hotel and loads of charity workers increasing their efforts to help. The excitement is palpable. I am looking forward to visiting the rabbit projects which have been progressing nicely over the last three years. Our shipment of cage wire and water bottle nipples has cleared customs (YEAH!!!!!). This will put another 250 units in production. Several new projects are lined up just awaiting final budget revisions and launching. I am finding that our American obsession with paperwork is not an easily transferable skill. The good news is that it has showed us that in Quartier Morin the rabbit producers have increased the number of rabbits per producer by 300% since 2.5 years ago. The rabbits are healthier too. All we need is more Farmer to Farmer rabbit volunteers. Soon I hope to have a power point available on the project.

Comments

  1. MeghanFriday, December 04, 2009

    Farmer to Farmer has done some recent work in Jamaica with cocoa processors. I'll send you some information.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Better Marketing and Communications to Showcase the Work of our Hosts in Colombia

By -
Image
Salva Terra Foundation has focused on supporting vulnerable communities through sustainable agriculture. They work with impoverished populations and victims of violence in Medellin and aim to promote farming and develop local skills to work in the agricultural industry in an ecological manner. This process of bringing together concepts such as social impact, sustainable development, environmental protection, and food security requires excellent outreach and promotion. Therefore, they requested a F2F volunteer to help them develop a communication and marketing plan. The chosen volunteer for this assignment was Dr. Sindy Chapa. She has a B.A. in Mass Media Communications, with a Minor in Television and Art Design, an MBA, and Ph.D. in International Business/Marketing. She is the Director and Associate Professor at the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University and has won several communications awards. Dr. Chapa decided to use Salva Terra as one of the case
Read more

My First Goat: A Professor, Students, and some Goats Tackle Food Insecurity in Rural Guatemala

By -
Image
Two Worlds Come Together to Build New Solutions against Malnutrition What does a USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) expert volunteer group from the island of Puerto Rico have to do with combatting food insecurity in Guatemala? Everything.  F2F volunteer Gabriela Colón Rios trains Mam Indigenous women to better care for their goats which will improve food security and reduce high malnourishment rates. Chiantla, Guatemala. Photo Credit: Monica Gonzalez In March 2023, a group of five eager F2F volunteers arrived in Huehuetenango (Huehue), Guatemala, with hearts and minds set on combatting food insecurity in a part of the world unknown to them.  Over the next 10 days, this team of experts would consider Huehue, in Guatemala’s Western Highland region, their new home and office. Accompanying them on their mission would be faithful companions and mighty conduits of change: goats.  Communities in this region live at altitudes reaching 10,000 feet above sea level nestled by captivating mountai
Read more

Digital Marketing in Colombia

By -
Image
Digital Marketing is one way that entrepreneurs and producers across the globe can reach new markets and increase sales. But what is digital marketing and how can a small Colombian business use it to maximize the number of people who come across its brand? These are the questions that Zen Naturals was asking itself. Zen Naturals is a natural cosmetic manufacturing company based in Cali, Colombia. Zen Naturals develops natural cosmetics made from exotic ingredients from Colombia’s outstanding biodiversity. Through ethical manufacturing and fair trade practices, they are also taking a leadership role in re-investing in the communities that grow the ingredients used in their products. Currently, Zen Naturals supports more than 95 Colombian quinoa farming communities through Fair-Trade Practices and technical assistance on their production. Zen Naturals is preparing to launch their quinoa facial care products in Whole Foods Markets in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in 2017.
Read more