Unconditional aid from the international community is rare. Most international funding to Haiti calls for decreased tariffs on importation and a neo-liberal economic model. This drastically undercuts the country s attempts at a self-sufficient economy, as domestic food production gives way to cheap food from overseas. As the government digs itself deeper and deeper into debt, any commitment to building a self-sufficient, sustainable and independent state becomes a distant possibility. The training program is a year-long effort, comprising monthly sessions lasting one to two days.
Participants range from local coordinators to regional leaders and popular educators.
Depending on the level of their work, they discuss soil conservation, models of development, techniques of popular education, and other topics. In addition, all groups receive training in planning, administration and grassroots organizing. Grassroots International is also offering financial support to the Creole pig repopulation project . The Creole pig was once the Haitian peasant s source of long-term financial security. When it was eradicated at US insistence, peasant income plummeted.