A Haiti-Wide Network, Born in Fondwa
Haiti is a country founded on revolutionary ideals that have persisted for 200 years in the face of unmatched challenges. 'L'union fait la force' (unity makes strength) is the national motto of Haiti, and it is constantly repeated during work on the ground.
The first Black-run republic in the world, Haiti gained independence from France in 1804 and was faced instantly with a crushing debt, trade embargoes, and the threat of invasion from powerful European empires. Haiti's ideals of strength in unity, equality and liberty have been relentlessly combated with dire circumstances in the centuries since then. In 2026, the country continues to suffer from political instability and widespread violence.
As such, seeing the embodiment of its motto requires participation in grassroots movements. Community leaders are fighting against all odds to improve lives in their communities and build solidarity and self-sufficiency. It is from this ideal that Father Joseph Network was born. All of our projects are small-scale: the university, the peasants' association, the microfinance bank, the local development committees. They embody the continuation of the Haitian spirit: to keep developing through the strength of community, against economic conditions and lack of government support.
Haiti has received aid from the international community, but aid has largely arrived as lump sums with no long-term sustainability: the pathways do not yet exist for it to make a real impact. Aid efforts have largely enforced the same economic subordination that has kept Haitians down for 200 years.
Haitian development projects, now more than ever, need to emphasize sustainable projects with provable outcomes. This is the vision of Father Joseph, and the reality of the work that he and his teams have built from the ground up.
Our Past, Present, and Future in Fondwa
Origins
1988 was an especially difficult year for Haiti: fraudulent elections, the overthrow of a President, a massacre followed by a coup, and the reign of a military regime. Amidst this backdrop, Father Joseph and other community leaders organized the Peasant Association of Fondwa (APF) to unite the rural poor in solidarity.
Shortly thereafter, Father Joseph realized that while the peasants had achieved excellent political organization, they needed support with economic organization and access to funds. He, FJN USA board member Anne Hastings, and dozens of community leaders across Haiti created Fonkoze Bank to support peasants in Fondwa and across the country.
FJN Today
Today, the Father Joseph Network reaches every department of Haiti, with one university, nine convents, 35 community organizations, and 47 microcredit branches.
The village of Fondwa remains the center of Father Joseph's sustainability and sovereignty mission for Haiti. The innovation and development that we are funding in Fondwa is poised to be replicated across Haiti's 572 sections communales.
The University of Fondwa, founded in 2004, produces cutting-edge research in peer-reviewed journals and trains local students to become leaders in their home communities.
Vision
We envision growing from 35 to 350 community centers (Local Development Committees) to serve every community across Haiti.
We envision food sovereignty and surplus in the village of Fondwa.
We envision agroecology learning opportunities available for every farmer who wants to create more resilient home gardens and sources of income.
We envision that the lessons learned and hope generated by Fondwa will inspire people around the world and contribute to restitution of the Haitian debt.
More About Fondwa
Fondwa is a village of approximately 12,000 people located southwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince, part of the Léogâne commune. It is the birthplace of Father Joseph, who returned to help development of the local economy and to help young people stay in the area and contribute to local farming.
The village faces extreme challenges, including high poverty rates and soil degradation. The Local Development Committee in Fondwa has been banding together to alleviate local environmental catastrophes, including damage to the village water supply. As Fondwa is located at a high elevation in the mountains, farmers have limited irrigation infrastructure and an overall lack of access to water.
They also have challenges accessing high-quality seeds. In the 1980s and 1990s, international nonprofits distributed genetically-engineered and hybrid crop seeds in Fondwa. Farmers largely sold off their heirloom seeds. But the new seeds were not well-adapted to the soil and climate. The crops they grew were less drought-resistant and less nutrient-dense, with dramatically lower yields over time.
In spite of these difficulties, farmers in Fondwa grow a variety of crops. The University of Fondwa works with local farmers to produce higher yields. The AKESNA sisters help with food, education, and medical care for the poorest. The spirit of "unity makes strength" continues to shape both political organizing and everyday life in Fondwa, providing a beacon of hope for all of us.