A. Education

The essence of MPP’s work is popular education. It’s a process of sensitizing the peasants to their living conditions and making them aware of  the possibility to be their own agents of social justice and economic change. In order to implement this project, MPP currently runs a national program of popular educators’ training where hundreds of organizers are trained.  Those organizers are from MPP and several other organizations all over the country. The main tools used by MPP to facilitate the work of education and awareness are a radio station called the Voice of the Peasants (Voix Paysan), a monthly newsletter, songs, posters,  popular theatre, etc.

B.  Organizing

The only way for the peasants to change their living conditions is for them to organize themselves. We used to say: “organize or die.”  MPP starts the organizing from the neighborhood to a greater area that we will compare with a county here. The smaller unit, called gwoupman counts an average of 12 people.  Gwoupman is the foundation block of MPP.
For over 30 years  MPP had been training organizers  for its own organizing and other institutions all over the country. The Organizers tasks is to help the peasants to structure themselves into community group called “Gwoupman.”  The gwoupman is like a school where the peasants learn their rights, leadership principles, agricultural techniques, health principles and how to take charge of their own destiny.

C. Cooperative
 

MPP helps the peasants create two coops to provide them with some important services they need. KOSMIKA, a multipurpose coop, intervenes in the production, processing and commercialization of agricultural products. Some activities of KOSMIKA include grains storage, tools store and food  processing facilities for various crops such as, sugar cane, cassava, corn, peanut, etc. SPC is a credit union where the peasants manage their savings and which provide with several types of loans. SPC also runs financial education  programs for the peasant groups.

D- Agriculture

Since its inception MPP advocates peasant agriculture as the foundation of sustainable development. It should help create food sovereignty, respect of the environment and facilitate economic development, taking into account the specific needs and aspirations of the people. Our approach is agrosylviculture, which combines soil conservation tree planting, and agricultural production. We use biologic and mechanic structure for soil protection.

E- Health


MPP advocates what it calls an “integrated health program”. Its focus , over the last 35 years, is mainly in the field of prevention that includes diet, drinkable water, sanitation, sexual education, responsible parenthood, etc. In the nineties it has extended its field of activities to training of some agents in traditional medicine, taking advantage of the traditional country doctors. In 2004 MPP started a health care center with one doctor, one nurse and two nursing assistants that provide primary care and train midwifes and health agents.