Help Haitian Families Rise From Poverty to Dignity

We are so grateful for your generous support that makes it possible for families in Haiti to build new lives free from extreme poverty. Thanks to you, 161 of the most vulnerable families on Lagonav Island have just graduated from our Family Graduation Program (known locally as Pwogram Anba Mizè Moun, or PAMM). This is the sixth cohort of families to complete the program, and we are proud to share with you the remarkable progress they have achieved.

Every Family Graduated

All 161 families successfully met the rigorous criteria required to graduate. This is an extraordinary accomplishment that speaks to their determination, hard work, and the steady support provided by community mentors. Families had to demonstrate that they had secure housing, stable income sources, savings, productive assets, and improved nutrition and hygiene practices.

Food Security and Children’s Health

At the start of the program, most families were surviving on just one meal per day, and many children suffered from malnutrition. Now, after completing the program:

• Every family is eating at least once per day, and nearly 88% now have two meals daily.
• Of 41 children identified with malnutrition, 39 have fully recovered, and the remaining two are receiving care until they do.
• All families now treat their drinking water, compared to just 17% at the start, resulting in a significant drop in diarrheal illness.
• Every family now has and uses their own sanitary latrine, compared to only 8% at the beginning.

Stable Housing and Community Health

Safe homes were a cornerstone of this transformation. By the end of the program:

• 100% of families now live in secure houses with solid roofs, doors, and windows.
• Families also embraced better hygiene practices. While only 57% reported keeping themselves and their families clean at the start, today 100% do.
• Participation in community life soared. Initially, less than half of participants joined in social events, but now every family is actively involved in community gatherings.

Economic Progress and Savings

Economic security is essential for families to thrive:

• Every family now has a steady source of income, compared to just 19% at the start.
• Families diversified their livelihoods. Small businesses grew dramatically, and more families now farm gardens, raise animals, or do paid work.
• Families’ productive assets skyrocketed from just 107 items at the start to 1,770 by the end, including goats, chickens, pigs, and donkeys.
• Every family is now saving money. Together, they have accumulated more than 1.45 million gourdes ($11,073 USD) in savings (up from just 270,550 at the start).

Education and Documentation

• 100% of school-aged children are now enrolled in school.
• At the start, 24 participants had never attended school and could not even sign their names. Today, nearly all can read, write, or at least sign their names. Only 10 participants are still unable to read.
• Every family now has legal identity documents — both parents and children.

Looking Ahead

Graduating from poverty does not mean life will be without challenges, but families now have the resources, skills, and confidence to face the future. Many have plans to grow their businesses, continue safe water practices, send their children to school, and maintain their homes and latrines.

Gratitude

We want you to know how deeply grateful we are for your partnership. Because of you, mothers who once wondered how they would feed their children now send them to school with full stomachs. Families that once lived in fragile shelters now rest safely in secure homes. Parents who once had no income or savings now run small businesses, raise animals, and plan for the future.

Your support is helping to transform lives in lasting ways. Thank you for walking alongside these families as they take courageous steps out of extreme poverty.

With gratitude,

The Beyond Borders Team