MIJABA

Dr. Jeff Losier is a community leader and medical doctor from the village Moreau in the Bainet region of southeast Haiti. He founded MIJABA, a Haitian-run non-profit organization, to provide education, medical care, and economic opportunities to members of his community, with focus on sustainability and long-term solutions. He has overseen the construction of a K-8 school in Moreau and encourages students to plant fruit trees around their homes — recognizing that both education and environmental stewardship are key to long-term development in the region. 

Several years ago, Dr. Jeff noticed that heavy rains and hurricanes washed away roads in the mountainous region, making it difficult for farmers to travel, reach markets, and access services needed to grow their local economy and public infrastructure. This situation is made worse by the fact that farmers often have to cut down natural forests in the region to supplement their income — selling charcoal in local markets to compensate for reduced crop yields from soil erosion. Using vetiver, a grass with deep roots that grows in Haiti, he found a way to address both this environmental challenge and persistent poverty in the region: by paying local youth and farmers to plant vetiver along roads and farm fields, he could reduce wash-out on roads and erosion of valuable topsoil while providing an new source of income locally.