"Rêve de mousse", a wooden fishing boat, 15 meters long will be the fifth boat after the Mystère, the Mercenaire, the Breizh da Viken and the Val d'orge, to be sent to Haiti by the association "Solidarité pêche", founded in 2003 by the fisherman Jean-Pierre Coïc.

Unlike the four previous "Rêve de Mousse" is not used for fishing. Solidarité-Pêche would turn it into a boat clinic, which would serve to provide access to care for coastal villages. It will not be a hospital ship, the objective is to make of it a 'sanitary boat' will be used by the Association Espoir Santé, based in Guadeloupe, and who have a dispensary in Port-au-Prince. Work will be necessary: engine repair and development of the bridge to receive a dispensary nd two cabins for a doctor and a nurse. he medical team will be able to travel in multiple villages along the coast of Haiti.

Fishermen who use the first four boats have seen their incomes rise, "Their life has changed, they went from precarious to a real business. They are envied today. The life of merchant of fish has also changed because they now have regular supplies." Boats provided by Solidarité pêche allow fishermen to use FAD (Fish Aggregating Device), rafts under which come to cluster the fish. The Mercenaire, as the Breizh da Viken are used to pull the pirogues to the DCP and bring them back to port with cargo.

The handling of Val d'Orge, the last boat of 18 meters, sent to Haiti in May 2011, is more difficult for the Haitian. The boat is bigger, with more complex instruments. "It will be necessary to do training. For now, Haitian sailors only know navigate visually. We'll have to teach them how to use the instruments, to fish further and deeper" explains Jean-Pierre Coïc which envisages to bring a small team of Haitian fishermen in Concarneau (France) to participate in the rehabilitation of the "Rêve de Mousse", and give them together the necessary training for the navigation of the Val d'Orge ""For accommodation, the organization can assume it. The big problem may be that of the visa..."

Learn more about the association "Solidarité Pêche":

The association "Solidarité Pêche" was established in February 1999 in Concarneau (France), by Jean-Pierre Coïc an inshore fisherman. The association's objective was to retrieve fishing boats destined for scrapping, to support an association of artisanal fishermen from Haiti, APAH (Association of Haitian artisanal fisheries). Today, the boats "offered" to Haiti are delivered to a local partner of "Solidarité Solidarité", the "Fondation Verte" a Haitian NGO that owns the boats and who works among others in the field of fisheries.

The aim of "Solidarité Pêche" is not to make the assistantship, but to empower Haitian fishermen earn their life, to feed and educate their families, using fishing methods that respect the environment and resource of the island in fish. It enabled Haitian fishermen increase their income by $2 to $15 per day, "With that, they can dress, eat, care and send their children to school," said Jean-Pierre Coïc.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2908-haiti-fishing-the-val-d-orge-expected-this-week-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2512-haiti-fishing-val-d-orge-baptized-departure-next-week.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2276-haiti-fishing-the-nymphea-ready-to-go-soon.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-1970-haiti-france-donation-of-a-new-fishing-boat-for-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/article-209-haiti-humanitaire-les-bretons-offrent-un-bateau-aux-pecheurs-d-haiti.html (in french)

HL/ HaitiLibre