The Peace Corps Education and Communication Capability in Haiti was strengthened through collaborative partnerships between the Peace Corps and local institutions. In 1999, the USAID mission and Peace Corps program in Haiti sought to enhance environmental education and communication through a rapid assessment of twelve potential partner institutions. The institutions surveyed included international donors, government agencies, and NGOs.
The research consisted of in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, site visits, and document review in six geographic areas: Double Harvest, Forêt de Pin, Meyer, Jacmel, Les Cayes, and Port-au-Prince. Results of the assessment indicated that most of the institutions surveyed did not view environmental education and communication as a major priority. Additionally, they lacked personnel with formal training in education and communication skills. The assessment also revealed that Haitian schools’ lack of interest in environmental education and communication was a significant constraint.
Conservation education was identified as a more effective approach than formal environmental education, particularly in rural areas. This approach focuses on the sustainable use and management of natural resources, teaching practical solutions to problems such as soil erosion through special cropping techniques and tree planting. Given the schools’ lack of interest in environmental education and the Peace Corps’ work with farmers and other groups, GreenCOM recommended prioritizing conservation education.
The assessment also recognized great potential for conservation education on environmentally appropriate intermediate technologies (EATIs) such as small-scale agriculture and forest product processing. The Peace Corps’ ability to concentrate on EATIs could generate linkages with the business sector for mutual gain in agroforestry and sustainable business development. To strengthen conservation education, GreenCOM recommended training Peace Corps volunteers on this approach.
Training workshops should include a discussion of GreenCOM’s assessment and recommendations, the development of a strategic plan for strengthening current education and communication activities, and expanding those activities to new sectors. Volunteers should review materials developed in other Peace Corps countries and adapt them to local needs. The assessment and recommendations were conducted by GreenCOM, which is funded and managed by the USAID Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade Bureau: Natural Resources Management Office. Technical services for GreenCOM are provided by the Academy for Educational Development in partnership with Chemonics International.