Konbit Pou Potapiman

On Sunday January 29^th, 2023, KPP-Haiti held its annual ceremony to present the KPP Prix d’ Excellence Awards for the academic year 2021-2022.  The ceremony was held with a significant delay due to the late schedule of national exams, the delayed reopening of schools , and the numerous disturbances of the everyday life of ordinary citizens.

An elegant ceremony was held at the Eglise Evangelique Baptiste de Port-a-Piment, following the Sunday Service, and with an attendance of students, parents, school officials, church officials and parishioners.

The KPP Prix d’ Excellence Awards are presented yearly to students of the commune who have attained the highest scores at the levels of 9eme Annee Fondamentale and NS4 (Philo).

The aims of this program are:

to reward students for excellence in academic work

to stimulate younger students to work their best

to help defray the cost of higher education.

The KPP Prix d’ Excellence Awards for 2021-2022 were presented to:

   Djeff Jean Baptiste , 9eme Annee Fondamentale , at the EFA school

   Roselene St Jour, 9eme Annee Fondamentale at MEBSH

   Givenson Desir, 9eme Fondamentale at College Stella Maris

   Julie Frederic NS4 at College Evangelique Baptiste

   Rideley Dufanal, at Rood Claudy Damas school

The Board of Konbit Pou Potapiman presents its compliments to the laureates.

It also offers its congratulations to Mrs. Paul-Edline Orcel and the members of KPP-Haiti who have worked against all odds to continue with the tradition.

We express a special Thank You to Pasteur Jean Benoit of the Eglise Baptiste de Port-a-Piment, as well as all members of the community.

Our sincere thanks also go to the friends of Konbit Pou Potapiman for their unwavering support.

Mesi, Mesi Anpil!

By Claude Levy

 The year started with a major and most important Mental Health Seminar designed for teachers and school principals by Health Professionals to help teachers detect early signs of depression in children and take appropriate steps.

In the summer we had our regular KPP Summer Camp monitored by members of KPP Haiti. It was well attended and a fun time for students who participated.

The Sponsorship Program is doing well with the help of donors who guarantee the necessary supplies for children in need. This translates into academic success for those children.

The KPP Children Library turned from curiosity to avid interest for the children in the community, even the preschoolers.

The School Garden Project is developing a sense of responsibility in the students and is a hands-on activity.  They learn how to plant and grow vegetables that they can actually consume.  It has become an actual class in proper nutrition.

The Animal Breeding Project was conceived with the idea to eventually get the owner of the goat to become more secure financially after returning a newborn goat to the project.  The future babies born to that goat will be his to sell and profit from.  As for the cows, the interesting outcome of the donation is that the inhabitants of the village will be consuming milk as well as sell the surplus.

The latest venture is the Agricultural Coffee Project which has started recently.  The coffee plants look very healthy already; although we know that it will be years before they come to production, the farmers who receive the seeds to plant are experienced in that type of production.

All in all, KPP has seen satisfactory results in all of these projects for the year 2022 and will continue to support the population of Port-a-Piment in whatever ways that will make them financially secure in the long run, which will stimulate them to develop their villages.

May we emphasize that all the above projects were developed and are supervised by the members of KPP Haiti. We are so proud of their commitment and their professionalism.

The Board of Konbit Pou Potapiman wishes you a Peaceful Holiday Season, as we continue to work toward a Better Year 2023 for our homeland.

Thank You so much for the support.

    Continue reading “SNAPSHOT OF KPP ACTIVITIES FOR 2022” →

By Yves Sidney

Agriculture is one of the fundamental activities in a society to grow crops and raise animals. It forms the basis for food security. Being able to grow the right crops and keep the right livestock ensures that human beings are able to eat healthy diets and form strong immune systems to fight against diseases and infections.

In an area like the commune of Port-a-Piment, Agriculture, as its main activity creates job opportunities, can help build a strong and sustainable economy. Agriculture also will help avoid disasters like famines and reduce import dependency.

Konbit Pou Potapiman, understanding the importance of Agriculture, has initiated different projects in that sphere. Our latest project is in the cultivation of Coffee.

The place selected for this project is Dupin, a small village of the commune located at approximately 2 hours walking distance from the town of Port-a-Piment. With its elevation, its cool temperature, its forestation, and on the advice of the agronomist, Dupin appears to be the ideal area to implement the project.

The participants were selected on the basis of their knowledge, the space available to plant the coffee and a good understanding that it’s a long-term project. Many meetings were held to ensure a successful outcome.

The distribution of the plants started on Sunday October 30^th. 2022, during the wet season to ensure the soil stays moist while the roots are developing. The plants were donated to KPP by Agronomist Junior Albert.  4000 Blue Mountain Coffee plants were indeed distributed to 14 planters of Dupin.

Cultivation of coffee is a long-term project. From seedling to a mature tree and depending on the variety, it takes 3 to five years to bear fruits. Throughout this entire period, the plants demand meticulous care and attention at all times to ensure they grow strong, healthy and disease free. KPP will accompany the planters with technical assistance to care for the trees and for the preparation of new seedlings. Once the trees start bearing fruit, they can continue to produce coffee for at least 30 years.

“Many hands make light work.” Our donors, our friends, and members of our organization in the US and on the ground in Haiti are the hands making a difference in Port-a-Piment. Special thanks to Agronomist Junior Albert for donating the coffee plants and also his expertise. Kudos to Jean Robert Isidor for his leadership in organizing the transport of the seedlings, their distribution, the selection of the planters and the area suitable to grow coffee.

Although our starting cost was minimal, the funds available to realize the project came from previous donations. As the project takes shape, our costs will increase because of the technical support KPP will be providing to ensure success. A donation to help us will be greatly appreciated.

In the words of Mother Teresa, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” This project is another ripple.

    Continue reading “Agriculture – Coffee Project in Dupin.” →

 Haiti is now faced with extraordinary economic hardship with inflation reaching well over 30 percent. This situation coupled with the socio-political unrest has caused much misery for all.  Despite the unrest, our members on the ground continue to work as hard as they can to provide us with facts on what is happening in our Port-a-Piment and make sure most of the KPP programs are on track. Here are some of the latest:

Dairy Cow Project

The KPP Dairy Cow project is moving forward. We are glad to report that the KPP cow family has increased by one.  3 more cows are expecting to give birth in the next 7 months.  Slowly milk production has started, and we expect many families in the region to benefit of its availability.

Goat Project

 KPP’s latest Goat project which started in February 2022 is also expanding its population. Goats are one of the primary sources of income for many residents of the villages. Although we had a few minor setbacks, The number of goats in the project now totals 49, up from 40. More births are expected in the next 6 months. Any increase in the goat population will impact positively the beneficiary communities in their struggle against hunger and malnutrition.

Scarcity of Basic Foods

With the scarcity of certain basic foods in the marketplace, our members are encouraged to promote the value and benefits of agriculture. Based on what has been reported to us, foods such as plantains, yucca, yam, breadfruit etc. are very much available at the market in Port-a-Piment. However, many people are unable to buy those products as they do not have enough money to shop for them.  Food Prices have increased tremendously in the marketplace of Port-a-Piment. Please click on this link to view the latest prices: 

Prix des produits-2022 – Konbit Pou Potapiman (portapiment.com)

The state of Port-a-Piment and to a certain extent, the country as a whole is best described by what one resident from the area related to us:

“We cannot make any money because of the general state of the country. We are unable to travel and export our products toward Port-au-Prince or Cayes. Hopefully we will have enough to feed our family.”

With your assistance we continue to make a difference.

    Continue reading “KPP: an update on our activities” →