The Intolerable Role of the United States in Haiti
Haiti’s capital has shut down. With gangs in control, the airport is closed, roads are blocked and the de facto prime minster is stuck in Puerto Rico.
Quixote Center’s work in Haiti prioritizes systemic change. Our theory of change has three aspects:
- Economic development initiatives that lead to meaningful and sustainable jobs and income for families and communities;
- Reforestation to preserve Haiti’s environment and protect the soil and watershed;
- Advocacy to promote US policies that support Haitian democracy and Haitian-led solutions to poverty, gang violence, and migration.
Quixote Center initially launched Haiti Reborn in 1991 during a period of renewal in Haiti, following the election of Aristide and the rise of Lavalas, a popular movement for democratic reform. The coup that ousted Aristide later that year led us to focus our efforts on speaking out against United States intervention in Haiti. US foreign policy as well as development aid still has enormous influence over Haiti and its future. US NGOs and churches also funnel significant funds into Haiti, leading many Haitians to dub their country “the republic of NGOs.”
The Quixote Center partners with Haitian organizations to support smallholder farmers to build sustainable livelihoods from agriculture and reforestation. The Jean Marie Vincent Formation Center located in Grepen, Haiti, is our primary partner in the north while in the south DCCH, the Christian Community Development in Haiti is our main partner in Gouin, Les Cayes.
JMV Center
JMV Center
The Jean Marie Vincent Formation Center houses a tree nursery, a model instructional garden and multiple classrooms. These resources help farmers increase the yields of their farms, find new markets for their products, and gain access to the seeds and technology they need to succeed. The agronomy team from the JMV Center travel throughout the Arrondissement of Gros Morne to deliver workshops organized with a network of small farm associations, the Catholic Church’s Caritas network, and local schools. With our support, the JMV Center also maintains the Tet Mon model forest, a reforestation project that is the only one of its kind in the region. The JMV team holds formation sessions on reforestation and tree maintenance for local leaders, schoolchildren, and agronomy students.
DCCH
DCCH
The Social and Economic Recovery Program was launched in January 2025 as a scalable and replicable pilot project working with 100 rural families reaching up to 1000 people. These participating families are the protagonists of this program that aims to improve their income and food security while building resilience and eliminating dependence on outside assistance. Based on a 2023 community study, the project provides targeted investments in agroecological training, animal care, women empowerment through microloans and small business ventures. After collecting baseline data, the program will be tracking progress with the goal to increase household income by 20%, school attendance by 60%, crop yields by 60% and trade diversification among women.
Homeland InSecurity
We are getting closer to unpacking the complicated web of laws and agencies responsible for preventing U.S.- made weapons from getting into the hands of criminal elements in Haiti.
On Wednesday Quixote Center convened partner organizations together with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) staff director in charge of global trade violations and export enforcement coordination.
Armed Gangs Invade Gros Morne
Last week saw days of violent protests in Haiti. Thousands took to the streets across the country to demand that de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry step down, as required by law on February 7.
What’s the Quixote Center Doing in Haiti?
We have arrived at an important moment in Haiti’s history. 220 years ago, on January 1, 1804, the people of Haiti declared their independence from enslavement and colonial rule. Haiti’s path since then has been grueling. Global powers at the time, including and especially the United States and France, imposed multiple barriers in the path of freedom for the first Black republic.
Quixote Center’s Theory of Change in Haiti: Part II
Extreme poverty is one root cause of the chaos, violence, hunger, and migration in Haiti. All of Quixote Center’s work prioritizes systemic change. Our theory of change in Haiti has three aspects:
Violence and Food Security in Gros Morne: Report from the Community
This week we held our regular meetings with our partners in Gros Morne. The news from Haiti is dire, and we are seeing reports that the gang activity has ramped up in Artibonite Department, where Gros Morne is located. We asked our partners, including the Montfortin priests and the RJM sisters, to tell us about the situation, and the following paragraphs summarize their words.
Quixote Center’s Theory of Change in Haiti: Part I
Consistent with our mission statement, Quixote Center’s work in Haiti prioritizes systemic change. Our theory of change has three aspects:
Quixote Center in Gros Morne, Haiti
In Fiscal Year 2023 Quixote Center’s agro-forestry work in Haiti directly impacted over 800 families, over 1000 elementary school children, and hundreds more small-scale farmers and cooperative members. Indirectly our reforestation work impacts all 11,000 members of the population of Gros Morne and surrounding areas.
Are There Really no Alternatives to Armed Intervention in Haiti?
Haiti continues to deal with a heart-breaking crisis situation of extreme violence and food insecurity. Now the US government has signed an agreement with the government of Kenya to provide financial and other support for a Kenya-led “international police” action in Haiti. While the situation is desperate, I remain unconvinced that armed international intervention is the right solution.
Prajje is back on Project Runway!
Quixote Center’s favorite fashion designer, Haitian-American Prajjé Oscar Jean-Baptiste, has returned to Project Runway for season 20. This season has brought together all-stars from the previous 19 seasons.
In just the first 6 challenges, Prajjé’s look has won the team challenge to create a gown fit for royalty:
Stop the Gun Running to Haiti
It’s no secret that Haiti is facing its worst security crisis in recent memory, with criminal gangs in control of increasingly large parts of the country. Insecurity is not just a problem in the capital, Port-au-Prince; according to our partners, gangs are now operating even in isolated rural areas. The gangs have power because they are armed. A major source of weapons is the United States, entering Haiti through Miami, often by way of third countries in the Caribbean.