Project Description
By supporting local philanthropy to tap into the resources available to communities (such as small businesses, donors, and social clubs), we can increase communities’ independence from international donors. This helps to ensure the long-term sustainability of local efforts since philanthropic organizations focused on one geographic area are more likely to be accountable to that community over time. At the IAF, we strengthen the ability of local philanthropic organizations to do effective programming and unlock additional public and private resources for long-term development. Our grantee partner FCH-Espwa raises funds from local private companies and the Haitian diaspora and then invests in grassroots organizations in the department of the Grand’Anse. FCH-Espwa’s investments enhance food security, improve access to credit, and increase income.
| Project: | Location: | Years active: | IAF grant funding: | Counterpart commitment: | Direct beneficiaries: | Indirect beneficiaries: | Program areas: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Promoting Inclusive Development in the Grand’Anse by Strengthening FCH-Espwa and its Partners `Grandans Gen Espwa` | Haiti | 2020 – 2023 | $397,960 | $663,629 | 20,000 individuals | 100,000 individuals | agriculture and food, security civic engagement, and natural resource management |
Talk about community-led development!
Recent News and Stories
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With funds from the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), grantees Ñepi Behña and Ya Montsi Behña have developed Corazon Verde, a jointly-owned enterprise that markets products both domestically and internationally, such as bath sponges, jams, jellies and soaps, all derived from the maguey cactus, which is native to the Valle de Mezquital region of Hidalgo state in Mexico. While she waits to deliver her finished bath sponges, a coop member winds amorphous treated fibers of the maguey cactus into a single thread using a hand spindle. The thread will later be used to knit products for the cooperative Ya Montsi Behña.
Grassroots Businesses: A Virtual Artisan Fair
Over the past 50 years, the IAF has supported an incredible number of innovative and entrepreneurial groups with a common dream: transforming their lives and communities. Join us as we travel north to south through the region to see how agricultural producers and artisan groups have conquered the world with small IAF investments to grow their businesses.
Carrying the Load: A Haitian Grantee’s Tenacity through a Decade of Natural Disasters
From earthquakes to floods and now COVID-19, Haiti has been severely tested over the past few decades. Through it all, however, one thing remains constant—the resilience of the Haitian people.
Inter-American Foundation and USAID Launch Joint Initiative to Foster Caribbean Disaster Resilience
The $5 million initiative, Building Community Resilience in the Eastern & Southern Caribbean, will ensure that U.S. foreign assistance reaches communities most vulnerable to natural disaster throughout the Eastern and Southern Caribbean.