Anse-a-Veau - Haiti Observer Blog

The government of Haiti has been keen in the involvement of the population on the proper articulation of its policies that affects citizen. In this concern, last year in the month of September, the government initiated a project dubbed Gouvènmananlakayou, which provides space and avenue for dialogue between the government and the public on how to properly implement its policies and ensure that the benefits are felt by the entire population.

As such, there havebeen plans by different stakeholders, spearheaded by Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, local elected officials, ministers of government, civil society and community organizations, to discuss these matters. These groups have, therefore, organized the discussion on the 8th output of program Gouvènmananlakayou, which would take place in Anse-à-Veau, in the department of Nippes.

Read more →  

Tourism has been on a substantial descent over the last 20 years. But one series of events, the Fête champêtre, continues to give hope to a struggling industry as tourists, local, from the Diaspora, and international, flock Haiti to witness the countryside festival.

One of the main avenues for entertainment to the 18th century elite, a Fête champêtre (a country feast or pastoral festival) was a type of garden party much loved at court. With pretensions to simplicity, the Fête champêtre was patronized by the well dressed, entertained by musicians hidden in the trees, as they enjoyed the beauty of landscaped park.

Read more →  

Within the Department of Nippes, sits the Anse-à-Veau Arrondissement. Five hamlet-like villages comprise Anse-à-Veau: Arnaud, L'Asile, Petit-Trou-des-Nippes, and Plaisance-du-Sud.

Anse-à-Veau has a population estimated to be between 31,000-55,000. Founded in 1721 as a cityship, it lies below left of Ile Gonave and an inlet of the Caribbean Sea. Three sub-divisions make up Anse-à-Veau: Grande-Rivière-Joly, Sault-des-Baril-Moinsard, and Baconnois-Grand-Fond.

Following Haiti's magnitude 7.0 2010 earthquake, which reduced most of Haiti to rubble, thousands upon thousands of Port-au-Prince survivors overflowed Anse-à-Veau, severely straining its people and services.

Anse-à-Veau's main income-producing activities are agriculture and fishing. Farmlands produce coffee, sugarcane, lemons, and oranges, and use sustainability practices. Cotton-growing also takes place. The small-craft fishing industry plies its trade along Anse-à-Veau's coastline.

Read more →  

Arnaud, one of the smallest villages in Haiti, is part of the Anse a Veau Arrondissement in the Nippes Department. Its population numbers under 19,000 inhabitants. The village's smallness contributes to over-crowding, which makes living conditions more difficult. Arnaud is sub-divided into three communes: Baconnois-Barreau, Baquet, and Arnaud City Center. Arnaud has only recently been incorporated as a separate municipality, having been created from the town of Anse-a-Veau.

The main form of economic activity is farming. Farmers grow crops of coffee, rice, banana, lime, sugar cane, and cotton, which afford them a modest standard of living according to Haitian standards.

Read more →  

On Thursday, 26th July, 2012, the village of Anse-a-Veau in Haiti was privileged to be visited by the head of state. President Mitchel Martelly went to visit the victims of January 12, 2010 earthquake. The village has sixty households whose members are the survivors of the earthquake and the floods that came after the quake. Anse-a-Veau is funded under the support of "food for the Poor" program as well as the Catholic Church in the diocese of Anse-a-Veau and Miragoane. These two groups have done great work including building a school in that area to benefit the residents.

Read more →  

In July, Haitian President Martelly, along with Bishop Pierre-Andre Dumas and Food for the Poor Representative Daniel Rouzier, visited a village located in Nippes Department's Anse-à-Veau that was built for the displaced victims of the 2010 earthquake and the various floods in the department. It was a project done by the NGO Food for the Poor where about sixty homes were built. The trio also launched the town's new Sainte Anne Polytechnic School during their visit.

The Martelly administration has been launching several projects for the development of Haiti's economy and for the welfare of all Haitians, especially the victims of the devastating 2010 earthquake. It has also urged for the decentralization of the government's power and resources to local governments and smaller public sectors in order to extend its public service to the smallest of communes and villages.

Read more →