Fondwa, Haiti:     In a small mountain community called Fondwa, located in the mountains of the southern peninsula, the peasants have taken their destinies in their own hands.     Fondwa has a local population of about 7,000 that interacts actively with as many as 42,000 people in neighboring valleys. They are all farmers and farming families. These farms do not resemble what Americans think of when we envision farms. The land in Fondwa exists on the steep mountain slopes. Nearly all of the homes in Fondwa are shacks constructed out of wood with a metal or wooden roof.     Most of the family homes have 1-3 rooms that are used for all purposes - sleeping, eating and living. There is no running water or no electricity in the entire valley. There are no plumbing facilities in any of the houses. Community outhouses or latrines are near some of the houses, but not all. There is a mountain stream, which has been felt to be safe for use for drinking. The peasants use this as their only water source.     Many of the peasants are malnourished and some near starvation. Nestled into a small mountain crevice are 2 shanties' that serve as an orphanage which houses 48 children whose parents have either died or given them to the Sisters to care for because they can no longer do so. Many were near death from starvation when they arrived.     Our vision for the community of Fondwa is to assist a local peasant community leader in setting up an aquaponics project and to expand the project into the community if the pilot project is successful.     Members of Luke's Mission worked closely with the community leaders of Fondwa for nearly two years to plan for the installation of the first aquaponics system in Haiti. They expressed enthusiasm about the possibilities of raising fish in conjunction with growing vegetables in a soil-less environment and chose a site for the project.   Prior to implementing the project in Haiti, we built a prototype at a North Carolina farm. For the prototype, a greenhouse was required to house the aquaponics system in order to replicate the climate in Haiti. However, in Haiti, a greenhouse is not be necessary because the year round atmospheric temperature will be conducive to good health for the fish and plants. The US prototype is located at Springhouse Farm, 1403 Mason Road, Durham, NC-residence of April Perry and Shelia Rittgers, board members of Luke's Mission.