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Mouvement Haïtien pour le Développement Rural

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Statute

The Haitian Movement for Rural Development (MHDR) is a non-profit, non religious, non-govermental organization (NGO ) not dependent on any group, organization or political party.

Aim and Objectives

The institution was founded specifically with the intention to promote the self-help of rural people as well as marginalized people in general, in order to contribute to the betterment of their living conditions.

The objectives of the institution are:

• To develop a spirit of mutual assistance and cooperation leading to initiatives in the fields of self-help, training and organizational development of poor sectors of the rural population.
• To undertake research on technical alternatives to contribute to solutions to the problems which poor rural people face.
• To undertake activities for the protection of the environment.
• To effectively encourage the development of organizations and associations of women for the advancement and liberation of the haitian rural woman.
• To encourage and support the development of community radio in the most neglected and remotest rural areas of Haiti, through training and financing.

Staff

The staff of the institution staff is made up of resource persons, who are experienced and competent in the following fields:

• Agronomy / Rural Engineering
• Journalism and Communication
• Accounting
• Economics
• Civil Engineering
• Secretariat / Computer science
• Medicine
• Sociology
• Law
• Electronic Engineering

Geographic areas of activity

MHDR's priority zones of work are:

• The Jacmel community in the south east
• Petit-Goave in the west department
• Port-de-Paix in the northwest department

The institution may implement activities in other areas of Haiti, upon specific request.

Thematic areas of activity

• Support to self-help of marginalized sectors
• Ecology: Environmental education
• Research and action in agriculture and rearing
• Research in rural development
• Popular education, such as: Management of Small Enterprises and Organizations
• Training: Management techniques and production for community radio
• Civic education (Human rights)
• Community health and Family planning
• Conflict resolution

General Strategy

The MHDR works through the infrastructure of grassroots organizations, in particular those of farmers organizations, in order to promote its support policy to self-help in the marginalized sectors of the Haitian rural society.

In all its interventions, MHDR seeks the cooperation, collaboration and/or support of partner organizations, private or public, able to contribute to the implementation of objectives in common.

The search for a margin of institutional autonomy, in particular financially, constitutes a new strategic direction for the institution.

Programmes and Activities

1. In the scope of its Support Policy to Grassroots Organizations, MHDR generally brings its technical assistance into the implementation of several types of programmes or projects, such as:
   - Programmes or projects for agricultural credit or seeds
   - Training programmes or projects in the management of small enterprises and organizational development
   - Programmes or projects to store berries and seeds
   - Promoting family planning
   - Community health
   - Coffee-plantation regeneration
   - Cattle raising.
2. In the field of promoting community radio, MHDR:
   - Looks for financial support in order to install community radios in the remotest rural areas of Haiti
   - Trains members of organizations in community radio management, radio broadcast techniques, and production techniques.
   

Partner Organizations

MHDR keeps many forms of working relations with national and international partner organizations, as well as with grassroots organizations in rural areas.

• VETERIMED, head office in Port-au-Prince
• Radio Tele Express in Jacmel
• FAO in Port-au-Prince
• MEDA /CIDA - Canadian International Development Agency
• Panos Institute, Washington, DC & Port-au-Prince

MHDR is a member of these institutions:

• Association Mondiale des Radio diffusion Communautaire (AMARC) - World Association for Community Broadcasting
• Association des oeuvres Privés de Santé (AOPS) Haïti - Association of Private Health Organizations
• Rural Radio Network in the Developing Countries (RRNDC), Toronto Canada
• Inter-Réseau Développement Rural à Paris-France - Inter Network for Rural Development
• Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Netherlands
• Foundation World Summit for Women, Geneva-Switzerland

Regional addresses of MHDR

Jacmel: MHDR
Rue Conti No. 35
Jacmel, Haiti
Tel /Fax: (509) 288-3997

Port-de-Paix: MHDR: 18, Rue Benito Sylvain Port-de-Paix, Haïti
Tel: (509) 268-5612.