what were some things they went through that made the phrase
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This comes directly from an interview with the author Tracy Kidder
Q: What does the title Mountains Beyond Mountains mean?
A: The title comes from a Haitian proverb, which is usually translated as: “Beyond the mountains, more mountains.” According to Farmer, a better translation is: “Beyond mountains there are mountains.” I first heard the proverb from Farmer, and I remember that he told me, “The Haitians, of course, use it in a zillion different ways.” Sometimes it's used to express the idea that opportunities are inexhaustible, and sometimes as a way of saying that when you surmount one great obstacle you merely gain a clear view of the next one. Of course, those two meanings aren't inconsistent, and I meant to imply both in the title. To me, the phrase expresses something fundamental about the spirit and the scale and the difficulty of Farmer's work. The Haitian proverb, by the way, is also a pretty accurate description of the topography of a lot of Haiti, certainly as I experienced it in my hikes with Farmer through the mountains of the central plateau.
This interview is protected by copyright (Random House Publishers, 2003) and reproduced without permission under a claim of Fair Use. Cited #1
Cange, Haiti was the first village to capture Paul's attention and benefit from PIH funding. Cange was once associated with farming, but its agricultural value was lost when a dam was built along the Artibonte River. This plunged the inhabitants further into malnutrition and poverty.