The Haiti Hope Project is a five-year, US$9.5 million partnership between business, multilateral development institutions and civil society partners to create opportunities for Haitian mango farmers and their families.

The goal of Haiti Hope is to double the incomes of 25,000 Haitian mango farmers over five years. Achieving this goal will help raise their standard of living and contribute to the long-term development and revitalization of the country. To support this goal, Haiti Hope brings together exporters and small farmers, and promotes training opportunities for local producers to help improve the mango industry in Haiti. The Project’s programs have been activated in the regions where Haiti’s mango industry has the highest potential for success.

The Haiti Hope Project is a coalition 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 also is supported by the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the Soros Economic Development Fund and other international and local organizations.

In an effort to raise awareness about the situation in Haiti and increase involvement in the initiative, Haiti Hope makes it possible for consumers to support the development of the Haitian mango industry. Within  weeks of last year’s earthquake, Odwalla launched Haiti Hope Mango Lime-Aid. In January Odwalla renewed its commitment to the Project by launching Odwalla Haiti Hope Mango Tango. Ten cents of every bottle of Odwalla Haiti Hope Mango Tango purchased is donated to the Haiti Hope Project, up to US$500,000 per year for the duration of the Project.

The Project also integrates and prioritizes the involvement of women throughout the entire mango industry value chain. All farmer groups receive an introduction to gender issues and create a women’s committee and Group Gender Action plan based on their needs. They also receive training on women’s rights under Haitian law, financial management for women, and gender and leadership.

Success in this area will be measured and evaluated throughout the duration of the Project.

PROGRESS TO DATE (November 2011)

Since its inception in September 2010, Haiti Hope has launched a variety of successful activities and programs. Highlights include:

• Building Relationships:
  The Project has established relationships with 14 farmer groups and will provide ongoing support to groups with thousands of active members.
   
• Engaging Farmers:
  To date, more than 7,000 farmers have enrolled in the Project.
   
• Empowering Women:
  To date, more than 40 percent of enrolled farmers are women.
   
• Offering Financial Services Support:
  Haiti Hope promotes access to financial services for mango farmers and in May 2011 partnered with Sogesol, a local financial institution, to launch farmer credit. The loan amount began at US$50 per farmer. Sogesol is expanding the program to include 400 farmers.
   
• Providing Training Programs:
  A detailed training program has been piloted to cover organizational, technical and commercial topics. To date, more than 300 training sessions have been conducted.
   
• Convening Stakeholders:
  The Project works closely with and regularly convenes local exporters to address downstream inefficiencies in the supply chain and ensure mango exports grow to benefit everyone in the industry. The Project also builds local capacity by using knowledge from other value chains.
   
• Developing Processing Opportunities:
  Haiti Hope has researched and will continue to research feasible mango processing opportunities.

Photo: Haiti's sweet and spicy Francine mango at market. © Audra Melton Photography