I recently lost 9 pigs. This small pig is the only one I have left. If there was a vaccination campaign, it would make a positive impact in our community. I previously lost a mother sow together with her 6 piglets. Then I lost a mother sow together with 9 of her piglets. This small pig is the only one left. Even if we were asked to pay a fee for the vaccines, we would agree to do that because we use these pigs to pay school fees for our children. We do not have any other economic activity that would enable us to send our children to school. If we had access to vaccines, even if we had to pay a fee for them, we would be very satisfied with that project. --Madame Suzette
Animal breeding is a bank for Haiti’s smallholder farmers. They invest time and funds in animal breeding, and then sell the offspring for cash to support their families. Unfortunately, with limited access to medications, families are losing their animals to disease.
Our partners at Grepen Center, with Quixote Center’s support, are launching a vaccination and veterinary medicine program so that farm families can keep their animals alive and healthy until selling them at market. Grepen employs veterinary technicians, but veterinary medications are not currently available in Gros Morne. Grepen Center will purchase the medications in bulk, with bulk pricing. They will charge a fee to the breeders, but less than they would have to pay if they traveled to another part of the country to purchase medication at retail prices. Grepen Center will reinvest the fees to cover the cost of the salaries and the continuing purchase of medications.
Currently many families have given up animal breeding because the losses are too high. This program will encourage new families to begin breeding, which will improve their income and food security.
Similar to our plantain project, this program is designed to improve the financial sustainability of Grepen Center while increasing household income for local families.
We already lost 9 pigs. We don’t know what God has planned for this last one here that remains. We can’t find vaccines or medicine to buy. You can’t imagine the amount of money I had invested in the pigs that I lost. I purchased bedding and food for them. If I had been able to sell the pork, at least I would have recouped that money I spent. But they did not even reach the age where they could either produce piglets or be fattened for market. Oh my goodness, we don’t know, if we were to call out to God, if He would send us a way to access vaccines. We need help. We are finished. Pigs are our bank accounts. They are our education and our healthcare. --Name Withheld
