haiti

Nativity Parish Teaches Haitians to Fish

By Alfonso Aguilar
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the Issue of 5/24/07) haiti

HAITI — The delivery of state-of-the-art boats to fishermen in Haiti honors the popular saying that goes “Give a man a fish, and you feed him today. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Recently, a delegation from Nativity Parish in Burke, headed by its pastor, Father Richard Martin, in collaboration with the humanitarian group Food for the Poor in Miami gave away 12 seaworthy boats to three villages in Cap-Haïtien, on the northern coast of the Caribbean nation.
In the short two-day journey, the delegations visited Petite-Anse, Bord De Mer and Fort-Liberte, fishing villages that share the abject poverty affecting the majority of their population.
In these villages, once renowned as the “Paris of the Antilles,” there is a scarcity of potable water; crowded, unhealthy living conditions; absence of proper sanitation, and enormous percentages of illiteracy and unemployment.
Most residents survive on small commerce, modest crops grown on the outskirts of the city and fishing. The average income for those fortunate to have a job is barely $400 per year, or about a dollar per day. haiti
The Food for the Poor model for fishing villages aims at helping to break the cycle of poverty and despair. The project develops a long-term, sustainable solution to improve the economic situation for the entire communities.
Fishermen are provided with 24-foot fiberglass boats, with reliable engines, fishing tackle and safety equipment.
“The boats enable the fishermen to work in deeper, more bountiful waters (600 to 1,200 feet depth), thus catch larger and more marketable fish like queen snapper and yellowtail,” said James McDaniel, Nativity parishioner.
“From now on, you can go into deeper, unexplored water and bring your community 300 to 400 pounds of fish,” said Robin Mahfood, president of Food for the Poor.
The total cost of establishing a fishing village is $50,000. A regular boat is commanded by a captain and four or five fishermen — both women and men. Villagers are taught deep-sea fishing and business practices that are both ecologically friendly and economically sound. The boats have coolers and freezers to store their catch, and usually a fish shop is established in the community.
In return for this help, the fishermen agree to contribute a percent of their catch to help feed others in their communities who are less fortunate. Those working on the boats are required to pass along their skills and knowledge to younger members of the community.
In the shop at Bord De Mer, Haitian Father Duken Augustin showed visitors during their last day of the trip a big queen snapper, “just catched today with the new boats,” he said.
“This is hope realized,” said Father Martin, whose parish has raised $1.6 million in nine years to help people in Haiti.
Nativity parish funded the Nativity Fishing Village in Petit-Anse, which included five boats bearing the names of Father Martin’s relatives in recognition of his 40 years as a priest. His bother John Martin from Rhode Island, and parishioners James McDaniel, Jennifer Schmidt, Philip Ricard, Richard Urban and Joseph Pettit also joined the delegation.
“Tangible results of nine years of Nativity parishioners’ contributions resulting in over 500 cinder block houses, a school, water wells, sanitation facilities, a tilapia farm and five fishing boats inspired me to want to be part of the future efforts,” said Pettit.
“What struck me was how one life can affect so many, if they’re hearts are moved,” said Marilyn Ciccarone from New Jersey, who has conducted fund-raising events and made personal contributions to pay for 13 houses.
The delegations visited Archbishop Hubert Constant, and Cap-Haïtien Bishop Chilby Langlois. Both participated in the blessings and ceremonies.
At the end they toured the elementary school built by Nativity Parish in the capital, Port Au Prince. There, more than 300 students in bright yellow and blue uniforms welcomed the delegation with the song “Merci et Bienvenue” (Thank you and welcome).
At that final, touching moment, all visitors realized that there is hope.