Mountain Majesty
The History of CODEP Haiti Where Sustainable
Agricultural Development Works
(All Volumes are available here or at Dudley Court Press, or on Amazon.com
see at the Where to Buy page)
Mountain Majesty – Volume 1
Estimates are that 70 to 95 % of Haiti is a barren wasteland with no trees, constant erosion, and land unable to sustain life – plant or animal. Yet, for almost 30 years, rural Haitians living in the area directly southwest of Port-au-Prince have been slowly and steadily planting millions of trees in harsh mountainous terrain .
Mountain Majesty is the story of this enormous achievement.
Volume 1 chronicles the evolution of the Comprehensive Development Project (CODEP) as its members learned the tough lessons necessary for reforestation and the journey to economic self-sufficiency. They had to develop techniques to stop erosion and reclaim land. They had to shift perspective from subsistence farming to long-term thinking. They had to incorporate Haitian cultural nuances to build credibility with the community.
The plan was to complete the project in five years. Instead, it has lasted 30 and promises to last 30 more.
Mountain Majesty – Volume 2
Continuing the history of CODEP, Volume 2 begins in 2005, where Volume 1 stopped. It delves into how local Haitian leaders addressed the variety of issues they faced and how they developed new, creative solutions.
This history tells how new leaders stepped forward, faced the challenges, and became significantly more self-assured and capable; valued resources sorely needed in all of Haiti. The stories are poignant, touching, and often laugh-filled as CODEP leaders tried out their own ideas and experimented with new solutions. Some of these failed, some succeeded. The leaders grew in understanding with each new experience and gained confidence in their leadership capabilities and limitations.
When John and Debbie came to live in Haiti following the earthquake, there were many things to learn. This story is a compelling one about the development of cross-cultural relationships.
These stories are not without heartaches, disagreements, and seemingly everyday crises that describe normal Haiti. Compound that with the devastating 2010 earthquake, and you will be at the edge of your chair all through Volume 2 of Mountain Majesty.
Mountain Majesty – Volume 3
Volume 3 picks up the story at a time when CODEP was first challenged to become its own entity as a licensed Haitian non-profit company. Facing new leadership challenges, while concurrently having a myriad of changes in the US funding organization that provided for all of CODEP’s operating cash, these leaders met the challenge unflinchingly. Add to that the increasingly complex cornucopia of products and things they now needed to manage. Volume 3’s pages recount these gripping stories.
Making the joint decision with their American partners, CODEP now operates a sawmill so that they can selectively prune the forests to improve their health and value. And, learning new skills, including finding markets for their rich varieties of forest species has been difficult, but rewarding.
The CODEP school, set up following the earthquake, now houses eight classes from sixth grade through “diplom”, the thirteenth year equivalent to a high school degree. This has been a new experience also, but provides an excellent source of education for CODEP and non-CODEP families living along the road to Jacmel.
All these stories again describe the continuing march CODEP leaders have made to become independent and more and more self-sufficient business people. Another series of testaments to their perseverance, faith, and hard work in restoring the paradise Haiti can once again become.
Available here or at Dudley Court Press or on Amazon.com.
