This frequently cited proverb in Haiti is a tragic expression of the snare which has held its people in centuries of political and social upheaval. It is the inheritance of every Haitian child born: a view of the world that is rife with distrust and fear toward their fellowman.  While Haitians have a history of engaging in various cooperative structures, cooperative as a member- owned, member-managed business runs counter to all that Haiti has known itself to be.

 

Haiti is a country steeped in centuries of cultural fear and mistrust. Although an independent republic since 1804, Haitians have yet to experience a trust that enables productivity through shared investment and participation toward a united goal.

 

A study of Haitian society reveals a mentality that has difficulty with management, a difficulty with administration, a difficulty to work in any situation that requires success for all, a difficulty in trusting: a difficulty but not an inability. FIDA/pcH both understands and accepts the cultural and mental barriers that confront the cooperative model. However, through time and the persistent principles of respect, the model has become the avenue of hope for ownership and self-governance for thousands of men and women in rural Haiti.

 

The Cooperative Development Pillar is the foundational pillar of a sustainable development model.

 

The cooperative business model as upheld by the Seven International Principles of Cooperative is particularly well suited for rural communities in Haiti. Often referred to as The Third Choice or The Third Way it is a vehicle to promote change when there is neither and individual capacity or national capacity to address a common adversity or initiate and execute change.

 

True cooperatives are designed to develop the economic capacity of members through the income generating activities as carried out by a cooperative.