OPDEL, Belo

OPDEL is a group of young people in Belo who have been organizing since 2002 to promote a healthy and productive life for their neighbors and community at large.

In 2002, a group of young people in the area of Belo noted that there was a lack of unity in their community, that no one seemed to be working together to resolve the community's common problems. So they founded an organization named OPDEL (Organization for the Progress and Development of La Montagne), and started to carry out activities for the benefit of the community.

They started with agricultural training for local farmers as they had an agronomist as one of their members, began a community vegetable nursery, and began to grow from there. With the resources the group had from agricultural activities, they bought land for the construction of a local community school in 2011, and OPDEL continues to contribute through giving english courses for young people in the area. OPDEL arranged for a training from FOSAJ, a well-known artisans cooperative in Jacmel, to train local youth in paper mache, and a young artisans' group has grown from there. They have also received trainings on community health and try to raise awareness about good health practices in the community.