Sharing the Gift of Hope

Despite the various challenges caused by natural disaster and political instability, Haitians remain committed and hopeful for a more stable future. Our team in Haiti is fueled by this hope and is generating new opportunities for individuals like Justin, Michel and Marie.

They are some of the participants of the Giving Machine initiative that supports medium and long-term processes of community organization, training, technical assistance, and the provision of basic productive inputs to rural families in the Northwest department.

Justin is 53 years old and the father of eight children. Prior to joining the program, he had experience in animal husbandry, tending to sheep and chickens. Before this opportunity, however, he had no animals to care for. With his experience, Justin was the perfect candidate to learned quickly through CWS-provided training how to care for his new goats. He told us, “I am very happy, and it’s a big pleasure for me to receive these two goats. I will continue to take good care of them so that they can produce good offspring, with strong young goats to pass on to other people. Thank you for this beautiful program that came to the community.”

The project enable families to produce and consume more and better food, as well as initiate or expand micro-enterprises. Farmers learn about agroecological techniques, implement soil conservation, participate in reforestation, and have better access to high-quality seeds, animals, and microcredit.

In another area of Haiti (the Gran Lako locality), Michel, a 30-year-old woman, faced similar challenges. She lives with her mother and four younger brothers and supported her family through her cosmetics business and by growing crops. Like Justin, she also had experience with animal husbandry but found herself without any animals when the activities began. Michel received two goats, which allowed her to diversify her income and establish greater stability. Michel also finds joy in caring for the goats and said she sees them as her “children” and enjoys seeing how they respond when she talks to them. She is excited to share this joy with another person in her community when her goats eventually have offspring.

We also heard from Marie, who is 42 years old and lives with her husband and three children. Marie also had past experience taking care of livestock and enjoyed learning how to care for goats. She shared what she really most enjoyed about the project, however, is that “it helps us progress in the community.” She added, “I will continue to respect all principles so that the program can continue in the community until everyone get goats by passing on the gift.”

Through the eagerness and commitment of families like Justin, Michel and Marie, this project not only transforms families lives but also strengthens the bonds of communities by empowering individuals to share the gift of hope with one another.

We are thankful for the support of our partners and donors for making these stories possible. You can learn more about our work in Latin America and the Caribbean by clicking here.