Kaskou is a rural community in Grand Goâve, in the Western Province of Haiti.  Kaskou, like many Haitian communities, faces challenges of opportunity, poverty, environmental degradation, health, and beyond.  Olès Saint Jean and Clerzina Saint Jean were typical Kaskou residents: Olès was a tailor and Clerzina was a food vendor.  They raised a large family and, through their determination, emphasis on education, and good luck, they propelled their nine children’s emigration abroad.  In 2011, the Saint Jean children started a non-profit foundation to give back to their natal community, to honor their parents’ leadership and memories and to extend the kinds of opportunities they enjoyed to those who remain behind. 

ODEKA, Organisation pour le development de Kaskou, was founded as a partnership between a dozen members of the community in Kaskou and those living “outside,” mainly in the United States.  The mutual objective is to lay the groundwork for development, stability and sustainability of Kaskou with a key focus on education, health, energy, food security, environment, clean potable water and local business.  The priorities of the organization are determined primarily by those “at home,” as they know best what they need.

Odeka quickly identified three areas of need that would support the people of Kaskou and start to rebuild their shattered community.  These were food, access to medical care, and access to education.  Establishing reliable food distribution was targeted as the first objective, and towards this end a bakery was built in 2011 that meets the basic needs of the community by providing an easily accessible dietary staple.