The initial objective of this food production project is to feed 100 women living in the “bateyes” (shantytown) of Yaco and Palamara through the farming and production of corn. Corn is the main crop for the inhabitants of the “bateyes”: it is a staple food and it is used in a variety of ways more than any other grain consumed by humans, both domestically and industrially. It is used as animal feed and fermented for various industrial products (because it can be processed for use in a variety of food products without the need for large investments) and it represents a sure source of nourishment for the population.
Nutritionally speaking, corn is better than most other grains, except for its protein content. The nutritional properties of corn, wheat and rice and the composition of the various components of the kernel are presented in the following tables. The nutritional value of corn is higher when compared to wheat and rice: corn is higher in fat, iron and fiber however it is lower in protein. Adding a food higher in protein during meals can supply the needed nutritional requirements.
Beginning: from 03/04/2009

Motivation

The bateyes are shantytowns in the Dominican Republic inhabited by Haitian immigrants and their families or Dominicans of Haitian descent. These communities were set up some decades ago following the introduction of the sugar industry. Some are governed by the Sugar State Council (CEA) and other private associations. The residents are currently in living through a heavy economic and social crisis which is made worse due to lack of food. This is a consequence of the crash of the sugar industry, the low cost of labor and investors abandoning the sector. For generations these people have been involved in the sugar industry, planting, cutting and extracting sugar from sugar cane.
Currently, the production of sugar cane in the Dominican Republic is at an all-time low and many of these families have surrendered to their fate of being without a job or land to farm, without essential infrastructures and with a very high level of analphabetism.  Because of the crash of the state sugar industry and the lack of other opportunities, the people of the bateyes now have complex economic, social and environmental problems expressed also in higher violence (higher crime rates and family violence rates), prostitution and other social problems, conflict outbreaks, deterioration of the social fabric and the ecosystem (destruction of terrain, deforestation and contamination of the waters among other things). This social condition which is getting out of control and presenting potential sources of violence has never been a priority of governments which have never set up clear action plans to face the crisis and the extreme poverty levels of these communities. This is a situation that is tied to the discrimination of this group of people in particular. 

Mission  

1. Satisfying 95% of the food needs of the 100 families involved in the project.
2. Educating the families on domestic economy and food substitutes.
3. At the end of the project, presenting corn in its various consumption forms and valorizing its use as a staple grain.
4. Creating an intercommunity committee between various bateyes of small competent and responsible producers involved 100% in the processes and procedures of corn farming.

Offering a job to 100 women of the bateyes communities, who have scarce resources, through the constitution of micro-enterprises which can not only improve economic conditions but also guarantee food though corn farming.

Promoters and beneficiaries

ODEMIHF is a non-profit independent and democratic organization active in the field of social justice and it is regulated by the no. 759 cooperation decree operating in the Dominican Republic to support Haitian women and their families, work centered on personal and community development, the protection of human rights, education, organizational support and community development action plans.
Direct beneficiaries are 100 single – mom women who are the main caretakers of their families and having scarce economic resources and who live in the bateyes.