Jameson & Margalita

A mother & son fighting COVID-19 in the community

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly on the food system and economy of Petit Trou, have been devastating. Margalita and Jameson provide a powerful example of how local leaders have responded.

Margalita and her son Jameson exemplify what families can accomplish in Petit Trou when they have access to resources. Their work has become even more important in the context of the pandemic.

Margalita has been a partner and leader in CHP-supported activities for several years, helping to lead the response to Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and serving as a founding member of the artisan coop, Tipa Tipa. This association of entrepreneurial women has been creating beautiful products for years, supporting their families through sales and also educating students on their craft. This year their skills were more important than ever, as Margalita and the team organized quickly to sew masks for COVID-19 prevention, providing over 1,000 masks, free of charge, to schools, health workers, and farmers.

Jameson has also played a major role in development and progress in Petit Trou, volunteering as a teacher’s aide and farmer at St. Paul’s School while finishing his agronomy and agriculture studies at Zanmi Agrikol, an agricultural school in the Central Plateau of Haiti. After three and a half years studying, Jameson is looking forward to returning to Petit Trou this January. Not only will his focus include support of the garden and farming club at St. Paul’s School, but he will also play an integral role in the expansion of food and gardening coops, demonstration farms, animal husbandry, and tree planting efforts across the broader community.

Margalita is a member of TiPa Tipa, a women’s sewing cooperative in Petit Trou. Watch the video below to learn more about her work:

Jameson is one of the key leaders of CHP’s Agriculture program. Watch Agronomist Raphael and others share details about their work: