May 1st and Labor Day

​“AGRICULTURE AND WORK” DAY

May 1st is a national holiday here in Haiti. It is one of many holidays that usually is nothing more that a day with no school. In cities, there a public programs and fairs. In the smaller communities, there is usually nothing.

This year, ASAPH hosted an afternoon program in which we invited 7 different speakers to address environmental issues plus farming and other food-production issues. The ASAPH brass band provided a musical break after each session. The ASAPH girls choir sang three songs with the band.
We took advantage of this occasion to have the very first performance of the ASAPH GRAND CHOIR!  The sopranos and altos from the girls choir were joined by tenors from the ASAPH brass band and basses from the ASAPH soccer team. We sang a song about…food!

The theme of the day was : Let’s plant so we can eat.

A highlight of the program was when we honored 11 local farmers who put food in our bellies all year long. We encouraged them with certificates showing our appreciation for what they do. It is a group of people who seldom get recognized. Then, we honored five or six laborers who make a living hoeing and cleaning gardens for the farmers. We honored them with some things that will make their jobs a bit easier. The crowd applauded robustly for this group of people that we almost always see in work clothes. On this day they were dressed up and looking pretty sharp.

Pasbwadòm is an agricultural community. Like so many across the planet, we are a community in which school children always say they want to be doctors, nurses, and lawyers. So few dream of working the land. ASAPH is working to change that.

The agriculture program here at ASAPH is young, but we are making strides in the right direction. 



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