On September 11, 1984, Jack and Anne Wall sold most of their possessions and moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. They were sixty years old. Their mission was to work with the poorest of the poor in rural communities, to enable them to achieve a level of productivity and economic activity to provide for themselves and their families. Jack carried with him a charter carved with the vision and mission of the Foundation for International Development Assistance (FIDA). Anne preoccupied herself with how to support themselves as well as to meet the overwhelming need to support the fledging cooperatives.
Their home became the doorway to Haiti for many: tourists, visitors, doctors, nurses, teachers, pastors, adoptive parents, mission teams, and church groups. It was known as Wall’s International Guest House. There were many difficult years, but Anne persevered. She often prayed for God to send her “just a few guests” so that she could make ends meet. God did and the guest house flourished. In return, Anne turned all the proceeds of her hard earned work to support the struggling cooperatives. Through good years and lean years, Wall’s International Guest House has enabled thousands of Haitians to realize a sustainable future. Thousands of visitors annually seek out Wall’s International Guest House as their place to stay while in Haiti. Each visit continues to be an answer to prayer and a blessing for many.
Today, FIDA carries out its activities through productive cooperatives Haiti (pcH). A staff of 30 supports the mission of providing resources to communities who desire to advance themselves economically by forming a productive agricultural cooperative. FIDA/pcH currently partners with 17 cooperatives representing over 7,000 members.