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Fondwa is a small village of 7,000 people located in the mountains south of Port-au-Prince. Just two hours from the capital, it nonetheless suffers from the same dire challenges of Haiti's rural countryside. These include limited access to water, ravaging deforestation, indifference on the part of the State, and economic isolation. Since 1998, the community of Fondwa has come together under the auspices of the Peasant Association of Fondwa (APF) to confront these problems together. The accomplishments of the APF are many, including building the area's first health clinic and secondary school, caring for dozens of children in the St. Anthony orphanage, planting more than half a million trees, working with peasants and international experts in agronomy and veterinary medicine, and conducting extensive literacy campaigns. In 2004, Fondwa produced Haiti's first-ever university in the mountains, which is based on the APF's extensive experience with rural development initiatives. It is through this university that Fondwa will share its knowledge of sustainable practices and international collaboration with the other 564 rural communities of Haiti, providing the hope for a better future for Haiti's next generation.
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