Haiti Partnership News | Sept. 4, 2026
New School Year at St. Marc
St. Marc School in Jeannette begins the new school year on Monday, September 7, with expectations for full classrooms once again.
The Diocese of Wisconsin Haiti Partnership will maintain the same funding levels as last year for school and clinic staff salaries and for canteen lunches. In addition, the diocese has granted $16,000 in additional canteen funding in response to the growing number of displaced people arriving in the community and the continuing effects of inflation in Haiti.
Prayer Requests for Mireille Eloi
Please keep Mireille Eloi and her family in your prayers as she prepares to undergo major surgery in mid-September.
Mireille was one of the original teachers at St. Marc School. Her husband, Eloi, formerly served as principal and lay administrator at St. Marc and now serves as CFO of APSHA. Please pray for Mireille, Eloi, and their sons, Jacob and Antoinne, during her surgery and recovery.
Cassava Program Update
Farmers participating in the cassava program continue to report encouraging results.
New seed stock and improved agricultural techniques have increased yields from approximately 3–4 tubers per plant to 5–8 tubers per plant. Depending on location, total production has grown to between 1.5 and 3 times previous levels.
Farmers report that cassava sales are helping households purchase food, pay for healthcare, finance schooling, purchase livestock, and build savings. Questionnaires distributed to participating households also show strong confidence that cassava farming and the cassava processing facility offer a sustainable path toward greater economic stability.
The evaluation identified several areas where continued support is needed, including:
Additional cassava cuttings, particularly in Dèmawo and Pèti Bèken
Continued agricultural and organizational training
Marketing assistance
Greater use and equipping of the cassava processing facility
A more dependable system for purchasing farmers’ cassava
Stronger technical and financial training
Greater price stability
Impact
The evaluation confirms what farmers themselves are reporting: the cassava project is having a significant positive impact on production, household income, food security, and overall well-being.
The cassava processing facility remains central to the project’s long-term success and has the potential to become an important tool for local economic development.
Where farmers receive adequate inputs and support, households are increasing production, strengthening their economic resilience, and investing more in education and healthcare.
Three major challenges remain: inconsistent distribution of agricultural inputs, gaps in training in some communities, and transportation and marketing difficulties. Addressing these barriers could allow the program to become a replicable model for sustainable local development.
Recommended Next Steps
Short term, 0–3 months
Strengthen the distribution of agricultural inputs.
Prioritize Pèti Bèken and Dèmawo.
Conduct a logistics audit.
3–6 months
Deploy Farmer Field Schools.
Strengthen financial management skills.
Introduce climate-adaptation techniques.
6–12 months
Create collection points.
Support transportation cooperatives.
Advocate for improved rural roads.
12–24 months
Develop partnerships with microfinance institutions.
Establish and strengthen savings groups.
Support diversification at the cassava processing facility, including bakery operations and a peanut mill.
Strengthen farmer organizations.
Haiti News
The security situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate, with armed gangs threatening communities that had previously remained relatively safe.
Recent violence has included the kidnapping of more than 50 people and the deaths of at least 47. Gangs are now threatening Léogâne, where APSHA’s offices are located and where Eloi, his family, and Franck of APSHA live. A curfew is currently in effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Léogâne has received tens of thousands of displaced people and is approaching a critical breaking point. Once considered a comparatively safe refuge, the community is now experiencing severe pressure as armed groups disrupt supply routes. Food prices have risen dramatically, consuming nearly all of some households’ income.
Haitians in the United States are also facing uncertainty following changes to Temporary Protected Status. Deportations are taking place, including among people with ties to Jeannette. Deportees currently arriving in Cap-Haïtien may have no practical way to return to Jeannette.
Among those facing possible deportation is Julio Dumano, now a pastor in Springfield, Ohio. Julio is a former St. Marc School student and is known to many people in Wisconsin through the early years of the Haiti Partnership.
Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, for Haitians living in the United States, and especially for our partners and friends in Jeannette and Léogâne. This morning police brought an armored tank and reinforcements to help fend off gangs in Léogâne.
As you consider your charitable giving this fall and winter, please remember the ministries and communities supported through the Diocese of Wisconsin Haiti Partnership.
