“For Jérémie, isolated and underdeveloped for decades, recent history had been relatively kind, bringing new hotels and a robust coffee crop. But as so often in the past, whenever Haiti tries to pick itself up, something always seems to knock it back down, including, and perhaps especially, the forces of nature.” – Azam Ahmed, The New York Times

Three years ago, Jérémie, a city nestled in the southern tip of Haiti, was ravaged by Hurricane Matthew. Those who survived faced cholera and economic devastation. The United Nations estimated that 60 to 80 percent of crops were lost to the storm. Feed My Starving Children donors and volunteers helped us respond immediately with 10 million meals. 

Now, as Jérémie continues to rebuild, FMSC has deepened its commitment to this beautiful and resilient community through an expansion of our Project Based Food Assistance (PBFA) initiative into Tè Wouj, an isolated village in Jérémie. The Tè Wouj PBFA will be managed by our local distribution partner Haiti Bible Mission. 

What is PBFA?

Through PBFA, FMSC supports communities with a concentrated application of food assistance to reduce malnutrition and create a stabilizing platform that leads to self-reliance. Our local distribution partners, churches and community members lead the way.

FMSC provides support for these community-led initiatives and a consistent supply of food for a period of time.

This is one way we keep our commitment to serve each community we work in according to its needs and resources, with the goal of helping people to thrive on their own.

Through our partnerships, we stay with communities for the long haul, helping them move from relief to rehabilitation to development. What better way to do that than supporting community-led initiatives?

This isn’t the first time FMSC has launched a project like this. The pilot, MARINEL project in the Philippines, ended in 2018 and our Batey 106 project in the Dominican Republic is slated to end this spring. 

Each PBFA committee identifies what its specific needs are. For example, the Batey 106 PBFA is fostering community development through English and cooking classes that will enable community members to get jobs in the Dominican Republic’s booming tourism industry.

What’s Next?

The diverse seven-member Tè Wouj PBFA committee includes five men and two women ranging from 20 to 68 years old. Their occupations are everything from pastor to farmer to student.

After launching the last week of August, the Tè Wouj PBFA committee will get to work identifying what specific projects it wants to tackle for the duration of the initiative with a goal of reducing malnutrition and developing the community for the long term.

A Local Lens

Frentz Neptune, a photographer who was born in Jérémie, is capturing this PBFA’s story as it unfolds. Frentz uses photography and video as a way to capture special moments and tell the stories of those he serves in Haiti. We are thrilled to have a local storyteller for this initiative.

Stay tuned for updates as the Tè Wouj PBFA develops.