The Haiti Hope Project
The Haiti Hope Project is a five-year, $9.5 million public-private partnership among businesses, multilateral development institutions, the U.S. Government and nonprofits, designed to create sustainable economic opportunities for Haitian mango farmers and their families. Haiti Hope aims to double the incomes of 25,000 smallholder farmers five years after they join the Project.
Haiti's sweet and spicy Francine mango at market. © Audra Melton Photography
The Haiti Hope Project is a five-year, $9.5 million public-private partnership among businesses, multilateral development institutions, the U.S. Government and nonprofits, designed to create sustainable economic opportunities for Haitian mango farmers and their families.
Haiti Hope aims to double the incomes of 25,000 Haitian mango farmers over five years. Achieving this goal will raise the standard of living for beneficiary farmers and contribute to the long-term development and revitalization of the country.
To support this objective, Haiti Hope promotes training opportunities for local mango producers and connects smallholder farmers to exporters, thereby linking them to international markets. The Project has implemented activities in regions where Haiti’s mango industry has the highest potential for success.
The Haiti Hope Project is a public-private partnership comprised of The Coca-Cola Company; the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB); the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); and TechnoServe. The Project is also supported by the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the Soros Economic Development Fund, and other international and local organizations.
In an effort to raise funds for the initiative, Haiti Hope makes it possible for consumers to support the development of the Haitian mango industry. Within weeks of the 2011, Odwalla renewed its commitment to the Project by launching Odwalla Haiti Hope Mango Tango, which is available for sale in the U.S. Ten cents of every bottle of Odwalla Haiti Hope Mango Tango purchased, up to $500,000 per year for the duration of the Project, is donated to the Haiti Hope Project.
The Project also integrates and prioritizes women's involvement throughout the entire mango industry value chain. All farmer groups receive an introduction to gener issues and create a women's committee and geder action plan based on theeir needs. They also receive training on women's rights under Haitian law, financial management for women, and gender and leadership. Success in achieving gender goals will be measured and evaluated throughout the Project's duration.
PROGRESS TO DATE (December 2012)
ENGAGING FARMERS
To date, more than 16,000 smallholder farmers have enrolled in the program.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
The Project has established relationships with farmer cooperatives and will provide ongoing support to groups with thousands of active members.
EMPOWERING WOMEN
About 46 percent of enrolled farmers are women.
PROMOTING ACCESS TO CREDIT
In May 2011, the Project partnered with Sogesol, a local microfinance institution, to launch farmer credit. More than 1,400 farmers have received loans through the program.
PROVIDING SKILLS TRAINING
A detailed training program, which covers organizational, technical, and commercial topics, has been piloted. More than 2,300 training sessions have been conducted.
CONVENING STAKEHOLDERS
The Project regularly convenes local exporters to address downstream inefficiencies in the supply chain and ensure that mango exports continue to increase. The Project also builds local capacity by using knowledge from other value chains.
DEVELOPING PROCESSING OPPORTUNITIES
Haiti Hope has and will continue to research feasible mango processing opportunities.