BRAC Partner in Haiti: Association of Peasants of Fondwa

The Association of Peasants of Fondwa (APF) is a grassroots organization that has worked hand in hand with the peasants of Fondwa, Haiti since 1998. Fondwa is a small village of 7,000 people located in the mountains south of Port-au-Prince in Leogane district. Just two hours from the capital, it nonetheless suffers from the same dire challenges of Haiti's rural countryside. These include limited access to water, ravaging deforestation, indifference on the part of the State, and economic isolation.

APF envisions a new rural Haiti, one comprised of sustainably and holistically developed communities that actively promote the civil and human rights of the poor. The accomplishments of the APF include building the area's first health clinic and secondary school, caring for dozens of children in the St. Anthony orphanage, planting more than half a million trees, working with peasants and international experts in agronomy and veterinary medicine, and conducting extensive literacy campaigns.

As a result of the earthquake on January 12th, APF’s office in Port-Au-Prince was rendered unusable and the small enterprises set up in Fondwa suffered damages. APF has put together a committee to assess the damages and strategize the best way to repair damaged structures and enable the small enterprises, which are central to Fondwa’s economy, to re-open.

The founder of the APF, Fr. Joseph Philippe, who is also the founder of Fonkoze and a partner of BRAC, visited Bangladesh in October 2009 and BRAC USA in November 2009. He met with BRAC International Executive director Aminul Alam in February while he was in Haiti and is currently working with the two Haitian-American’s BRAC USA mobilized to help get BRAC’s programs in Haiti set up. BRAC intends to work in partnership with APF as it starts its programs in Haiti.