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Since its creation in January 2004, AG has striven to implement projects aiming to improve the living standards of communities all over Haiti, especially those of the Northwest peninsula, a region that has lost 97 percent of its forests due to deforestation for energy and farmlands.
The Nord-Ouest (English: North-West) is one of the ten departments (French: départements) of Haiti. It has an area of 2,176 km² and a population of 488,500 (2002). Currently, it is divided into ten Communes (counties). Each commune consists of three or more territorial divisions. As for the Nord-Ouest natives, they divide their department into two major regions: the Upper Northwest and the Lower Northwest. The Upper Northwest is naturally fertile and prosperous, while the Lower Norwest, also nicknamed the ‘Far-west,’ is semi-arid and impoverished.
The Lower Northwest consists of four Communes (Jean Rabel, Môle Saint Nicolas, Baie-de-Henne, and Bombardopolis) and has a population of approximately 200,000 inhabitants. It is characterized by erratic rainfall and numerous micro-climates, creating a patchwork of zones which are differentially affected, some being too dry and others inundated. Because most households rely on rain-fed agriculture for food and income, in times of drought there is little or no agricultural output. Steep hillsides have been cleared for crops without adequate or no attention to soil and water conservation, resulting in serious erosion and declines in soil fertility. As a result of this irregularity of food and income from agriculture, many families must include small scale off-farm income generation activities and remittances from families, relatives, or friends living in Port-au-Prince (capital of Haiti) and abroad.
Due to the ongoing degradation of the physical environment of the region and its serious socioeconomic consequences on the Northwest residents, Ayiti Gouvènans went to the region and conducted some research to identity the root causes of this environmental crisis. The most pressing issues remain:
After identifying the main causes of the environmental and socioeconomic crisis in the Northwest, Ayiti Gouvènans has resolved to launch two major projects in the most at-risks counties Baie de Henne, Jean-Rabel, Mole St.-Nicolas, & Bombardopolis) of the Northwest region: Institutional Strengthening & Capacity Building Project (ISCBP) and the Northwest Reforestation & Conservation Project (NRCP).
Implemented Projects
ISCBP: The Institutional Strengthening & Capacity Building Project (ISCBP) consists of two distinct but related phases. The first phase or ISCBP-I which started on May 2007, aimed to equipping the town-halls of the 4 municipalities of the Lower Northwest with computers and accessories, and office supplies including flat screen monitors, printer, 1,800 watt generator, paper, envelopes, rolodex, bookkeeping record notebook, pens, pencils, and the list goes on. Today, with AG’s assistance, the 4 municipalities along with the 17 smaller local territorial divisions (CASECs, ASECs) of the Lower Northwest [Jean-Rabel, Mole St.-Nicolas, Bombardopolis, & Baie de Henne) are sufficiently equipped with tools and technological materials that will help improve their overall performance and provide better services to the population all over the region.
An additional component of the ISCBP-I consists of providing training and technical assistance to local administrators, elected officials and community leaders on issues related to public management, fiscal discipline, management of local government, environmental protection, waste management, urban and community planning, etc. Workshops, seminars, conferences, and open space are the preferred media to transfer knowledge to the communities.
To learn more about our implement and upcoming projects, clck right here>>>
