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TTFF wraps up a successful 2017 with a visit to Haiti

Attentive audience at TTFF Breadfruit Conference

In December, Trees That Feed co-founders Mary and Mike McLaughlin traveled to Haiti. They held a conference to share knowledge about breadfruit trees, their planting, care, reaping, and more.  There was an excellent discussion about how to start and manage a small business.  TTFF wants to help Haitians to operate successful, profitable small businesses such as tree nurseries and creating breadfruit products.  Businesses like that create jobs and diminish dependency on outside charity.

Other conference sessions included sharing of successful production techniques by Pierre-moise Louis, of Jeremie Breadfruit, and Charlotin Frednaud, GAPL.

Following the conference a small group took a field trip to a local bakery, where they are making new products using breadfruit flour.  One very successful product is the Konparet, a small bun, delicious and with a long shelf life.    Another tasty product is the Haitian “patie,” a tasty crusted turnover filled with either vegetables or meat.  And the supply of breadfruit flour (now half a ton monthly) is steadily increasing.

We owe thanks to the Hotel Montana for hosting us.  We visited with James, Charlotin, and Pierre-moise.  These three young entrepreneurs represent the future of Haiti as a country becoming self sufficient in food production.

Mary and Mike also traveled to Jacmel, a town on the south coast of Haiti.  In past days Jacmel was a desirable tourist location and shipping port.  Many of the old buildings remain, including a poetry staircase!

Mike McLaughlin in Jacmel 2017

M&M visited the Good Samaritan school in Jacmel, where TTFF has been providing 100 pounds of breadfruit flour each month, enough for over 1,000 meals. We also provided coloring books with pictures showing the benefits of planting fruit trees, with descriptive text in Haitian Creole (as well as French and English).  The students show off their work quite proudly.

Mary and Mike held a number of other very productive meetings that will expand and extend our work in Haiti.  We will be providing equipment to one group, Women & Children’s Hope; 1,000 fruit tree saplings to a French group near Jacmel; and we will be working with Food for the Poor to boost their development programs.

Cheerful young student at Good Samaritan School, Jacmel

Trees That Feed Foundation wants to thank all our donors for making this work possible.  Through your generosity, thousands of fruit trees have been planted, helping to reforest the country as well as provide meals.  TTFF has also supplied equipment and training, to help launch small businesses.  Haitians are honest, hardworking people–we’re helping to provide them with knowledge and opportunity.

All this happens through the generosity of people like you!

Thank You for a Successful Year!

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