New Boat and New Opportunities for Fishermen in Haiti
In February 2024, Peace Winds began a partnership with a fishing co-operative in southern Haiti to enhance work opportunities for its members in Saint-Jean-du-Sud. The co-op, APEDESUD (Association des Pêcheurs de la Deuxième Section de Saint du Sud), was founded in 2013 and is now made up of 30 men and 40 women who make a living through fishing along the southern coast. The group was hit hard by natural disasters and by Haiti’s difficult political and economic situation over the past several years. This program is working to provide APEDESUD with the equipment and training it needs to recover from recent hardships and become more resilient in the face of future disasters.
We are happy to report that the generosity of Peace Winds’ donors has allowed APEDESUD to purchase a brand new fishing boat and engine! The boat was transported roughly 140 miles from Port-au-Prince, and although the team faced some security and logistical challenges, it arrived safely in Saint-Jean-du-Sud at the end of August. The members of APEDESUD quickly painted it and fitted it with a brand new engine. The fishermen say that the new boat has allowed them to travel further off the coast and catch even bigger fish than they used to.
In addition to the much-needed new equipment, Peace Winds’ program has provided invaluable training to co-op members over the last three months. Training courses cover a variety of topics, including fishing techniques and safety, marine sustainability, fish preservation and processing, and hygiene and food safety. All of these are meant to ensure that APEDESUD products maintain a consistently high quality in a competitive market.
Antoinette is a seafood merchant, a member of APEDESUD, and a participant in Peace Winds’ training program. She says that while she already had some experience in these areas, the courses helped her gain a lot of new skills that will improve the quality of her product.
“Thanks to the training, I expect that my income will increase, and we will see more customers little by little,” Antoinette said. “I recommend that everyone working in the seafood industry take this training.”
Another trainee and fishermen, Pierre, expressed his gratitude for the program. “The knowledge I gained from this training will help me improve my fishing skills on a daily basis,” he said. “It has revealed new possibilities for optimizing quality and preserving freshness, which play an important role in increasing our income and improving our lives.”
Looking forward, the next step of the program will involve purchasing additional equipment for processing and cooking. APEDESUD hopes to purchase a number of tools for fish processing and storage, including cooking supplies, a refrigerator, and coolers. Peace Winds’ training program will also focus more heavily on the topic of production, and additional courses will be taught in sales, marketing, and accounting so that fishermen and merchants can better sell their products at local markets.
Participants like Antoinette and Pierre say they are looking forward to the next phase of training. “I recommend this training to anyone who wants to gain sustainable practices and technical skills,” said Pierre. “I want to continue to learn through future fishing training.”
If you would like to donate to Peace Winds’ fishing program in Haiti, please visit our GlobalGiving fundraiser here. 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 accomplishing even more together in the future. New donations to this project will support the purchase of additional equipment for APEDESUD’s seafood processing and storage.
