The Haiti Hope Project, a partnership that aims to create opportunities for Haitian mango farmers and their families, has been honored for developing innovative solutions to overcome poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Haiti Hope Project is a coalition comprised of The Coca-Cola Company; the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF); the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); and TechnoServe. Additional support comes from the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the Soros Economic Development Fund and other international and local organizations.

The Coca-Cola Company’s Latin Center Business Unit received the Corporate Citizen of the Americas Award on Wednesday in Quito, Ecuador. Representatives from Coca-Cola and two other honorees were presented with awards during CSRAmericas, a conference on corporate social responsibility organized by the Multilateral Investment Fund, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB).

The award, given by the Trust for the Americas in partnership with the Organization of American States, honors innovative companies and programs that benefit the communities in which they operate and serve as a model for socially responsible practices by other corporations.

Coca-Cola and Haiti Hope were recognized in the category of economic opportunities.

The goal of Haiti Hope is to double the incomes of 25,000 Haitian mango farmers over five years. Achieving this goal will help raise their standard of living and contribute to the long-term development and revitalization of the agricultural sector. To support this goal, Haiti Hope brings together exporters and smallholder farmers, and promotes training opportunities for local producers to help improve Haiti’s mango industry.

Nearly 13,000 farmers – more than 40 percent of whom are women – have enrolled in Haiti Hope. Trainers have conducted more than 900 sessions to help farmers improve their production. The project is partnering with Sogesol, a local microfinance institution, to offer loans to farmers. So far, more than 1,400 farmers have taken out loans totaling more than $118,000.

Haiti Hope also makes it possible for consumers to support the development of the Haitian mango industry. Ten cents from every bottle of Odwalla Haiti Hope Mango Tango purchased is donated to Haiti Hope, up to $500,000 per year for the project’s duration.

HL/ HaitiLibre