Productive Cooperatives Haiti

Productive Cooperatives Haiti (pcH) is a division of the Foundation for International Development Assistance (FIDA) a Waterloo Ontario NGO. Today's speaker, Cheryl-Ann Webster is the public relations spokesperson for FIDA/pcH.

Cheryl used her personal experiences through multiple visits to Haiti to bring the message of productive cooperatives that create independency rather than dependency. She spoke of one of the 29 cooperatives that the NGO has started in Haiti. Over the last 18 months a newly formed cooperative in the town of Duchity, about a nine hour taptap (taxi) ride north of Port au Prince, has grown from 120 members to over 2000. During that time. the cooperative has increased literacy of its member through 54 literacy centres and has helped increase agricultural yields by 40%. The organization believes sustainable development is accomplished through economic development with a cooperative business model and a democratic election process within each cooperative.

Quoting from a booklet Cheryl distributed gives an overview of resources. "Resources are provided to communities who are motivated to advance themselves economically by forming a productive agricultural cooperative including: cooperative development training, agricultural training and credit loans, and capacity building through adult literacy training."

FIDA/pcH is currently applying to CIDA and other organizations and service clubs to raise $3 million to continue establishing other cooperatives throughout Haiti. She estimates it costs about $500 per farmer for each of the three years for training costs to get the program self sustaining.