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Restoring Lives and Land in Fonds-Verrettes, Haiti

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Restoring Lives and Land in Fonds-Verrettes, Haiti RESTORING LIVES AND LAND IN FONDS-VERRETTES, HAITI 2020 REPORT AND PROPOSAL November 24, 2020 SUBMITTED TO: St. Clement’s Episcopal Church 901 Portland Avenue St. Paul, MN 55104 CONTACT: Plant With Purpose 4747 Morena Blvd, Ste. 100 San Diego, CA 92117 Doug Satre Director of Strategic Partnerships 858.274.3718 doug@plantwithpurpose.org plantwithpurpose.org 858.274.3718 1 4747 Morena Blvd. Ste 100, San Diego, CA 92117 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the midst of a challenging year for our world, Plant With Purpose is deeply grateful for the partnership we share in Fonds-Verrettes, Haiti with St. Clement’s Episcopal Church. Together, we are equipping more than 2,300 farming families, benefiting more than 14,200 adults and children to overcome the many challenges they face and restore their land and their lives. We are especially encouraged to report that in the last fiscal year most program goals were met or exceeded, despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and of ongoing political and financial instability in Haiti. Our team also took on the additional work of adapting program activities to protect the health of farming families, and to communicate the dangers posed by the virus. We could not be prouder of our team and the quality and integrity of their work. Thank you for your commitment to the people of Haiti, and for your consideration of a $30,000 grant in FY2021. It is in challenging times like these that we must remain faithful and continue to equip farming families to gain hope and dignity. Your resources and efforts are truly making a difference. FISCAL YEAR 2020 PROGRAM OUTCOMES In FY2020, Plant With Purpose worked toward the following goals and objectives in Fonds- Verrettes, Haiti. Below we highlight the exciting results, reflecting the hard work and dedication of local staff and partnering farmers: FOSTER LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH LOCAL CHURCHES Ø Objective: Partner with two new local churches, while strengthening 22 existing partnerships, providing the resources and leadership training necessary to help them meet community needs. Ø Result: As anticipated, Plant With Purpose Haiti established two new church partnerships while strengthening 22 existing partnerships last fiscal year. Partnering churches spread God’s love by addressing community needs in tangible ways. As focal points of the community, churches can provide a venue for Plant With Purpose Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) groups and other planning and training events. Partnering churches in Haiti also use a Bible-based curriculum shared by Plant With Purpose called UMOJA. The Swahili word Umoja means, “being of one mind,” which captures the spirit of people plantwithpurpose.org 858.274.3718 2 4747 Morena Blvd. Ste 100, San Diego, CA 92117 working together. UMOJA includes Bible study activities, as well as lessons on how to mobilize church members, build relationships within the community, manage conflict, and plan church initiatives. Inspired by the teachings of UMOJA, we’ve seen pastors in Fonds- Verrettes join together across denominational lines, such as when a group came together to raise funds to build houses and cisterns for vulnerable families in their community. Churches are also supporting each other as they seek to better care for their communities in the midst of the current health and economic crisis. Ø Objective: Host spiritual leadership training workshops with a cumulative attendance of 88 in order to equip church leaders to better teach and serve their congregations and communities. Ø Result: Plant With Purpose Haiti met our objective by hosting spiritual leadership training workshops with a cumulative attendance of 88. Workshops participants are typically comprised of church leaders who, through the training, become better equipped to lead and serve their congregations and meet the needs of their communities. Specific themes include leadership development and the stewardship of creation. REDUCE POVERTY AND INCREASE THE ECONOMIC WELLBEING OF RURAL FARMING FAMILIES Ø Objective: Establish and train 20 new VSLA groups. Ø Result: We added 20 new VSLAs for a total of 103 groups. In these groups, approximately 25 members set aside savings on a weekly basis. Groups then mobilize this money for loans, deciding together on a fair interest rate. With these loans, members are better able to invest in their farms, pay household expenses, and finance small businesses. Ø Objective: Strengthen 83 VSLA groups through training and ongoing support. Ø Result: Plant With Purpose Haiti strengthened 83 VSLA groups, allowing families to improve their economic situations and experience increased financial stability. Ø Objective: Graduate eight VSLA groups. Ø Result: Eight groups graduated in Fonds-Verrettes. Four of these groups were located in the community of Savanne Zombi, three were from Wo Mon, and one was from Sou Lanse. Combined these groups have 203 members (58 percent women) and a combined member equity of more than $29,400 USD. They experience an approximately 20 percent return on savings and an average loan size of $166.88 USD. These groups have each demonstrated the ability to thrive without the direct participation of Plant With Purpose staff. They have 1) internalized sustainable development values, 2) proven capable of funding and carrying out the activities promoted by Plant With Purpose on their own, and 3) understood the impact of their local watershed on their lives and their community as a whole. plantwithpurpose.org 858.274.3718 3 4747 Morena Blvd. Ste 100, San Diego, CA 92117 REDUCE DEFORESTATION AND REVITALIZE THE LAND Ø Objective: Mobilize community members to plant 126,664 trees. Ø Result: Plant With Purpose Haiti mobilized farmers to plant 60,496 trees on their farms and common areas. Unfortunately, due to severe drought, we lost a number of seedlings in the nurseries and were not able to plant as many trees as expected. To overcome the challenge, we focused on producing more trees in the areas that have more access to water, and planted some trees in humid areas to optimize survival. This past year, the community of Savanne Zombi in Fonds-Verrettes did successfully plant a batch of coffee trees after a rainy episode. We pray for improved rainfall this coming year. Overall, trees improve biodiversity and restore the soil, and fruit trees in particular, provide a unique source of nutrition and income. The end result is watershed restoration and improved resilience during disasters and droughts. Ø Objective: 120,000 linear meters of soil-erosion barriers. Ø Result: We established 160,139 linear meters of soil-erosion barriers. These barriers have proven their value to protect and restore degraded land and as a result they are in great demand. In response to these additional requests we built barriers in an additional region that was not initially planned for and accomplished much more than anticipated. These barriers are protecting farms from the damage of erosion and, in turn, protecting families. INCREASE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS Ø Objective: Host agroecology workshops with a cumulative attendance of 3,000. Through these workshops, farmers will improve crop production by learning and implementing techniques such as soil conservation, soil fertility, agroforestry, and watershed planning. Ø Result: We nearly reached our objective by hosting agroecology workshops with a cumulative attendance of 2,948, (48 percent more than last year) ultimately equipping farming families to improve their soil and crop yields. IMPACT To ensure that partnering families are in fact transforming their lives and land, Plant With Purpose regularly collects data from each of our country programs. In addition, every three years we conduct an extensive impact evaluation to measure the effectiveness of our programs. In early fiscal year 2018, we completed our most recent impact evaluation study, which included surveys of randomly selected families from our programs, as well as data from remote sensing and mapping tools. We gathered the same data from non-partnering families to make up a control sample. Results showed that, compared to nonparticipants, partnering farmers in Haiti: plantwithpurpose.org 858.274.3718 4 4747 Morena Blvd. Ste 100, San Diego, CA 92117 Ø Say that community members work together to change things that are wrong more often Ø Believe more strongly that they can freely express their ideas in their communities Ø Are 160 percent more likely to be saving cash Ø Have nearly twice the amount of savings Ø Are applying 68 percent more sustainable farming techniques Ø Are planting two times as many trees as nonparticipants Ø Benefit from 50 percent higher crop yields Ø Are 2.6 times as likely to send eligible girls to high school We are currently in the process of conducting our next global impact evaluation. We would be happy to provide results upon completion. FISCAL YEAR 2021 OBJECTIVES In FY2021, Plant With Purpose plans to reach the following milestones in Fonds-Verrettes, in accordance with our overarching goals: 1. Foster leadership development through local churches Ø Establish two new local church partnerships, while strengthening 23 existing partnerships. Ø Host spiritual leadership training workshops with a cumulative attendance of 38. 2. Reduce poverty and increase the economic wellbeing of rural farming families Ø Establish and train 29 new VSLA groups. Ø Strengthen 70 VSLA groups through training and ongoing support. Ø Graduate six VSLA groups. 3. Reduce deforestation and revitalize the land Ø Mobilize community members to plant 110,000 trees. Ø Establish 120,000 linear meters of soil-erosion barriers. 4. Increase agricultural productivity to improve food security and livelihoods Ø Host agroecology workshops with a cumulative attendance of 4,450. Support from St. Clement’s Episcopal Church will help accomplish the objectives outlined above, and will empower farmers to improve their circumstances and experience lasting transformation and resilience in the face of COVID-19.
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