Creating Local Jobs in Southern Haiti

As a result of Haiti’s economic challenges and natural disasters in recent years, local fishermen have suffered catastrophic losses. Damage to equipment has made it more difficult for them to catch fish, process seafood, and ultimately make a living. In February 2024, Peace Winds partnered with a local fishing cooperative to support its members as they work to get back on their feet. The co-op, APEDESUD (Association des Pêcheurs de la Deuxième Section de Saint du Sud), is a group of 30 men and 40 women who make a living from fishing along Haiti’s southern coast. 

Peace Winds is working with APEDESUD to provide training in business management and seafood processing techniques to the cooperative's members so they can catch and sell more fish to support their families. However, in addition to skills development, the group desperately needs fishing gear. We are so grateful for contributions from our donors, who contributed more than $1,100 in recent months to help purchase additional equipment for APEDESUD’s group members, including fishing line, nets, and coolers and–if more funds can be raised–a communal boat. 

For the first three months of the program, Peace Winds offered training courses on techniques for APEDSUD’s cooperative members to operate a small fishing business. After lectures by professional instructors, attendees have the opportunity to discuss what they learned and ask questions. Courses have covered topics such as goal setting, delegating responsibilities within a group, maintaining good communication and relationships, and project planning and implementation. 

APEDESUD members report that these will help the group be more resilient in the face of future challenges. “I’m grateful that I was able to attend this training on fisheries management,” said Inacio, a fisherman and member of APEDESUD. “We learned important skills that will help us better manage our organization and make a profit. I’m looking forward to continuing to strengthen our group and promoting sustainable fishing.”

“Through this training, we were able to hone our management and organizational skills as a fishermen’s group,” reported Jean Claude, another of APEDESUD’s members. “We gained concrete ideas and tools to strengthen the collaboration between group members and promote sustainable fishing. There is no doubt that this training has strengthened our ability to handle challenges in the future. We plan to continue using these skills to create a better future.”

In the coming months, Peace Winds will provide further training on sales techniques and strategies, as well as technical skills such as fishing equipment usage and seafood processing.

This project is made possible by a grant from the Kuraray Company and by contributions from our donors. Peace Winds is grateful for the support you have already shown us, and we look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in the future.

In February 2024, Peace Winds began a new program to support livelihoods for a group of fishermen in Saint-Jean-du-Sud, southern Haiti. An estimated 300-500 people make a living from fishing along Haiti’s southern coast. The job is not easy; fishermen typically work seven days a week trading shifts in a small wooden fishing boat designed to hold up to five people. They use nets, fishing line, or bamboo traps to catch fish by hand, and their wives typically sell the catch at local markets. However, the practice has become more difficult as a result of natural disasters and humanitarian crises in recent years.

For the current program, Peace Winds is partnering with APEDESUD (Association des Pêcheurs de la Deuxième Section de Saint du Sud), a cooperative established in 2013 to advance the livelihoods of fishermen. Currently, the group consists of 70 men and women whose lives were severely affected by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Haiti’s major earthquake in 2021. APEDESUD suffered catastrophic losses in these natural disasters, including the destruction of fishing gear and a blow to profits. The group used to earn about $500 a month; this has now dropped to about $20 a month. 

Another barrier to APEDESUD’s ability to maintain a steady income is its lack of organizational structure. Peace Winds is working with the group to improve its seafood processing capabilities, diversify its products, and transport more fresh seafood to markets throughout the area. The goal is that the cooperative will be better able to protect the livelihoods of its members and more resilient in the face of future disasters.

Over the next year, Peace Winds will help APEDESUD achieve its goals in three stages. The first is to prepare everything the group needs to be successful; this includes providing fishing gear, boats, and a processing site. The second step is to provide training for the group’s members. This will not only help them improve their technical skills but also establish an organizational structure for the group. Finally, Peace Winds will provide training in seafood processing techniques, sales, and marketing. Group members will be better equipped to sell their products at local markets and maintain a steady income. 

Peace Winds looks forward to bringing more updates about this project as we are able. Our current work in Haiti is funded by the Kuraray Company as well as by contributions from individual donors. We thank you for your continued support.