Economic Development

Economic Development in Haiti

In 2013, the St. Francis Haiti Committee entered into a relationship with Just Haiti, Inc.  Just Haiti is a small non-profit organization whose mission is to organize poor coffee growers in Haiti to help them improve and market their coffee for sale in the United States.  Just Haiti began in 2007 by partnering with a coffee grower community in a town called Baraderes; presently Just Haiti works with six towns across the Haitian countryside.

One of those towns is now Leon, where the St. Francis sister parish (Conversion of St. Paul) is located.  There are several coffee-growing families in Leon, and by 2016 there are approximately thirty families working with Just Haiti.  Just Haiti has provided training to help the growers in Leon improve the quality and yield of their coffee trees, thereby giving them the opportunity to sell their product in the United States.  Moreover, Just Haiti provided training in business organization, helping the growers unite into an official association recognized by the Haitian government.  This association is called the “Kafe Developmon Peysan Leon” (KDPL) and, as a result of this association, the coffee growers in Leon are better able to grow, harvest, transport and market their product.

In exchange for this assistance, St. Francis has agreed to use best efforts to sell Just Haiti coffee at church and in their communities.  Volunteers have been selling coffee one weekend per month after all six masses, selling on average 75 bags per month.  This high-quality coffee is shade-grown, organic, and certified fair-trade.  The cost is $10.00 per bag, which is slightly higher than comparable coffee sold commercially in stores.  However, this fair price, coupled with the fact that Just Haiti relies almost exclusively on volunteers in the United States to sell their product, means that the program as a whole helps promote economic development within our sister parish.

Economic development is a vital part of the overall effort to ease the crushing poverty in Haiti.  Connecting additional parish towns with established organizations such as Just Haiti is one way to stimulate economic growth.  For example, farmers in Haiti typically get less than $1 for each pound of coffee that they produce, which makes it difficult for them to support their families.  However, because Just Haiti returns the profits from the coffee to the growers themselves, the people who work with Just Haiti receive close to $3 for each pound of coffee they produce.  This allows them to put food on their table and pay for their children’s education and health care.  This economic development, in turn, helps other industries and businesses in Haiti grow.  It also gives the people a sense of dignity in providing for the needs of their families through their own efforts.

To learn more about Just Haiti, or to purchase some of their organic, shade-grown coffee, please visit www.justhaiti.org