Haiti Country Programme

Haiti is one of the world's poorest countries. Some 60 per cent of its people live in poverty and at least 40 per cent can neither read nor write. The country's precarious situation is attributable to political instability, bad governance and the neglect of public investment. Moreover, the country was badly hit by a catastrophic earthquake followed by a cholera epidemic in 2010, and by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Haiti's problems are being compounded by recurrent and alternating spells of flooding and drought.

All this directly impacts the efforts of its citizens to secure their supplies of food staples. For many years now, HEKS/EPER has therefore been supporting development projects to assist the people of very remote communes in the Grand’Anse Departement, which was hit especially hard by hurricane Matthew in October 2016.

Access to basic services is being improved through improvements in rural infrastructure. Families generate better incomes through improved agroecological production, value-addition, marketing and protection and sustainable use of coastal and terrestrial biodiversity. Community governance is strengthened and a rights-based dialogue between rural communities and the local authorities is promoted. All projects also aim to strengthen the autonomy and resilience of local families.