Each of the villages profiled below are recipient communities of SFS sails. We’ve also included some information about SFS’s trusted partners on the ground who distribute sails to the fishermen in each of the villages.

Abricots

Abricots is a fishing village of 1,000 inhabitants located in the county of Grande Anse (pop. 40,000)-on the SW peninsula. SFS sends the sails to Mica de Verteuil, who “retired” to Abricots in 1975. She immediately founded a large primary school in the village center that provides free education, books, supplies, and even uniforms. Today it counts 500 students and has craft and woodworking shops, a library, and a vegetable garden. In 1996 Mica opened 10 small rural schools throughout the region that surrounds the village, which today serve 1400 students.

Here Michael Carcaise (left) and Michael Laas (blue shirt) of SFS are pictured with the mayor of Abricots and Jean-Panel, the executive director of Paradis des Indiens.  In addition to Abricots, Jean-Panel has distributed sails to the fishermen of Bon Bon, Dame Marie, and other surrounding communities on behalf of SFS.

The official goal of Paradis des Indiens is education but they also work to empower all people of Abricots to achieve financial independence and self-sufficiency through entrepreneurial development. While their school system serves more than 2,000 students, PDI has also established school-to-work programs that include embroidery, fruit drying, beekeeping, and woodworking. The programs employ over 400 people, mostly former students.

Out of 12 finalists, Paradis des Indiens was selected as the runner-up in the 2007 World Challenge - a global competition that seeks out projects and businesses that not only make a profit, but also put something back into the community. Below is a video about Paradis des Indiens which the BBC produced as part of the competition.

Grand Sable

Grand Sable lies on Ile-a-Vache, a rural island (12,000 acres) off the southwest peninsula of Haiti. It is said that the name Ile-a-Vache (Cow Island) was given by the French due to the great number of cattle left on the island by Spaniards.

Today the 15,000 residents of the island rely heavily on the local fishing industry for local food supply and for commerce with the mainland. There is no electrical power nor drinking water. All inhabitants and guests travel by mule or on foot

Hope for Haiti (www.hope-for-haiti.org) was formed in October of 2005 by Brian House, a former Peace Corps volunteer who served in Haiti in 2003 and 2004. Hope for Haiti works in the communities of Chambellan and Ile-a-Vache coordinating education and agricultural training projects.

Testas

Testas is a small village a few miles east of Jeremie. At the beginning of 2008, Haitian Health Foundation commissioned the production of six 14 ft. fiberglass fishing boats to be made by a local Haitian boat-builder. SFS provided sails for the new boats.

Port-au-Prince

Bernard Chauvet is considered among the most experienced and knowledgeable sport fishermen in Haiti. He was appointed as a special consultant to Food for the Poor’s project to help fishing villages. Over the years, Mr. Chauvet has developed relationships with hundreds of subsistence fishermen all over Haiti.

Here Mr. Chauvet is shown in his office in Port-au-Prince during a meeting with SFS reps, displaying a fresh catch he had made the day before.