ACDI/VOCA implements a five-year PL 480 Title II Multi-Year Assistance Program for Haiti funded by the USAID Office of Food for Peace. The program aims at reducing vulnerability to food insecurity in the Southeast Department of Haiti, one of the most food-insecure regions due to its high stunting rates, low levels of pre-natal care and high poverty levels. The Southeast Department is relatively isolated from the rest of the country and has limited access to resources. It is also particularly fragile due to deforestation, poor soil conservation and exposure to flooding during the hurricane season.
ACDI/VOCA works with two key partners, Management Sciences for Health (MSH), an international development agency specializing in health promotion and health systems, and Bureau de Nutrition et Développement (BND), a Haitian organization that has worked for over 20 years to improve food security throughout Haiti. ACDI/VOCA and its partners apply an integrated approach to food security that includes the promotion of sustainable livelihood strategies, a focus on health and nutrition and the development of an early warning system (EWS). Over the life of the project, a total of approximately 16,739 households will receive health and nutrition training and 14,550 will receive food aid for a limited period while approximately 24,000 of these direct beneficiaries will receive agricultural support. The project anticipates reaching 72,750 individual beneficiaries.
The project works to reduce vulnerability to food insecurity via three main program components:
* agricultural and off-farm livelihood improvements
* mother-child health and nutrition enhancement
* development of an early warning system for food security-related crises and increased emergency preparedness
