If you have travelled in Haiti and you are reading this book, there is a very good chance you might recognize that some of the communities you visited were impacted by one or more of the 2,594 projects implemented through the PREPEP (Programme de Révitalisation et de Promotion de l’Entente et de la Paix) community stabilization programme. This book beautifully illustrates the impact of these projects. 

The PREPEP has been one of IOM’s signature development programmes, executed in collaboration with the government of Haiti, credible community leaders and communities in six regions across Haiti. The book compiles testimonies of beneficiaries eager to share their experiences with PREPEP projects and how these projects have improved their lives. Funded by USAID, this programme supported communities and government agencies to bring about positive change to acutely neglected, vulnerable and in most cases violent-ridden communities in Port-au-Prince, Cap Haïtien, Gonaïves, Les Cayes, Petit-Goâve, and Saint Marc. IOM is grateful for the support of the American people towards the implementation of this programme. 

Initiated in 2004, this programme evolved over time to respond to multiple crises across sectors: from the crime waves in Cité Soleil in 2004, the food riots and hurricanes of 2008, through the 12 January 2010 earthquake and the cholera epidemic that followed. While creating more than 356,000 short-term jobs, the PREPEP programme transformed vulnerable neighbourhoods with new public facilities including rehabilitated schools, roads, walkways and bridges, sports infrastructure, public lighting, improved access to water and sanitation facilities and significant agricultural infrastructure. Unequivocally, farmers in Petit-Goâve, Cap Haïtien and Les Cayes stated that as a result of the PREPEP, they were able to double, or even triple in some cases, their agricultural production. Their increased yields translated directly into higher incomes which enabled them to meet the needs of their families. 

This book, both a history and a celebration, as a gift to everyone who is working towards the advancement of Haiti and for the well-being of its people.