Haitian Goat Farmers

Matenie Desir

Matenie Desir is a 32 year-old single parent who lives in the community of Corail. She has five children and no steady job. In the past it was extremely difficult for her to raise her five children alone; to buy them food and send them to school. Matenie’s own parents could not afford to send her to school, so she has never learned to read or write, and had a hard time getting a job because she didn’t have the skills needed.

Two years ago, Matenie was trained and given a pregnant doe by Global Health Action’s Haitian Goat Project. Since then, the doe has kidded three times, and produced six kids. From this number, Matenie has returned one doe to the Goat Center, and has sold four kids, using the money she raised to help feed the family and enabling her to send all of her children to school.

Matenie now has a means to support herself and her children, and she has a rosier outlook on life. She hopes that with the education afforded them through her goat farming, her children will have a better chance in this world.

Mireille Ismela

Times have been tough for Mireille Ismela and her young son Michelander Laric, who live near Darbonne in the Leogane District of Haiti. Last year, financial difficulties forced six year-old Michelander to drop out of school when the family could not afford to pay for his education. However, since Mireille went through GHA’s Goat Project training to become a goat farmer and received her pregnant doe, things are really looking up for the family.

Mireille has raised several healthy goat kids and has already returned one to the goat project to benefit another farmer and family. This year, Mireille used the money she earned from selling a goat to pay school fees so that Michelander could return to school. The money also enabled her to purchase the appropriate school supplies and uniforms like those of other schoolboys his age.

Currently, Mireille and Michelander are raising three goats, which represent a source of financial stability and hope for the future for the family. She plans to expand her herd in the coming years and is confident that more goats will mean a better quality of life for her and Michelander.


Six year-old Michelander Laric is a willing assistant farmer who enjoys helping his mother care for the goats; the profit from the sale of these goats has enabled him to return to school.

Gabriel Baptiste

Gabriel Baptiste, 54, lives in Mapou, not far from Darbonne. He is the sole care provider for his four children. In order to survive and feed his children Gabriel farms the land and sells the excess from his harvest. However, he must wait a year after planting before he receives any of the profit from what he has grown. During these times of waiting, life is hard for Gabriel and his children. Simply providing the basics of food and shelter is a challenge.


Thanks to the Goat Project, Gabriel is now able to provide a great deal more for his children throughout the year. Since enrolling in the project two years ago, Gabriel has sold six goats for approximately $70 each, which is $20 more than the average market price for goats in Haiti because the goat kids are offspring of one of the Goat Project’s pure-bred goat bucks. Every penny of these profits has gone to support and care for Gabriel’s four children. The profit from these goats especially benefited Gabriel at the beginning of the school year when he was able to pay the school fees and supply costs to educate his children.

Gabriel has already returned one female goat to the project. He now has three goats, including the original doe he received from the project. He continues to breed his goats and raise the new goat kids to ensure that he can provide a good home and education for his children.