Haiti's Mango Emergency 

Dear friend, 

Our decades-long relationship with the farmers and their families in Gros Morne, Haiti, continues. Good things are still happening, thanks to the determination and perseverance of Haitians and their partners, like us, outside the country. Right now, the Gros Morne community needs extra help from us.

The community's mango crop is the main source of cash for many farmers in Gros Morne. They use the money to send their kids to school, pay for medical care, and augment their food supply. The mangoes are ripening now and must be harvested and consumed before they are inedible. In the past, the U.S. bought many of the mangoes, but the USDA has cancelled Haiti's export contract. We describe what happened and the context in detail HERE.

The situation is urgent, because if the producers cannot sell their mangoes for cash, they may start cutting down their trees and selling the wood for cash. The community reports that some trees have already been cut. Ideally, the mangoes would be harvested and sold within the country; unfortunately, QC's on-the-ground partners in Gros Morne have not been able to secure a local buyer. Although negotiations continue, they need help right now to save the mangoes while they are ripe. 

The community has a plan that will get their delicious, nutritious mangoes from the trees to hungry mouths in Haiti in three to five days. This message is our response to the community's plea. While our long-range efforts focus on alleviating the entrenched political and economic problems embroiling Haiti today, including a sustainable mango market, sometimes a situation arises that needs immediate triage. This is one of those times. 

Our goal is ambitious but realistic:  $35,000 will cover the harvesting, packing, transporting and distributing of 168,000 mangoes to areas in Haiti that do not produce the fruit. The community will distribute them to school lunch programs for needy children.

Thank you for your generosity, 

Quixote Center