Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

Many areas of the world have emergency sirens and signs that alert the public to impending issues. These issues could be wildfires, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, etc. With the city of Anse-a-Galets, there is currently no such system. Being the largest village on the island and having the main hospital on the island, such a city in the region should have some sort of protocol that notifies the public of such issues. Not only from the stand point of having such a system is good for the public, but it is also important for the future of the island. Businesses want to know that an area has the infrastructure in place to keep the public and their interest safe. Establishing a Regional Emergency Management and Homeland Security group would be something that could impact the entire island. These systems are not only for notification outdoors, but also should notify people who are indoors. Radio alerts, TV alerts, and text notifications would all be something that a Regional Emergenc...

Getting to and from La Gonave is a bit of a challenge. Typically you can fly into the island from Port-au-Prince using a charter flight, or you would have to take a ferry. Due to really expensive fares, most locals use the various sailboats and a ferry that go to and from the island. These water vessels are barely sea worthy, and some have even sunk. Most of the people who fly to the island are foreigners who are with or part of the not-for-profit groups on the island. Rarely if ever do Haitians fly even from the the Port-au-Prince airport, let alone La Gonave. The island of La Gonave has a 2,400 foot dirt runway that easily gets muddy when it rains, and often has livestock that is roaming the airstrip. This simply can not continue to happen. The La Gonave airport is only a 20 - 25 min flight from Port-au-Prince airport. Given the short distance, and large population on the island an air service could be supported. If you look at the numbers of people who daily go to and fr...

With La Gonave the issue of power is one of many reasons economic development doesn't happen. While there was once a solar producer in Haiti, that company doesn't appear to be in business any longer. One reason would be the cost of the panels that were sold. The panels were way over priced to the point where you can import panels that were superior in quality and power produced for cheaper. While some will say that buying from Haiti is important, we agree! The problem is that businesses have to make products where the price for the goods make sense. Otherwise they do a major disservice to the country. The lost jobs, prospects, industry, etc all affect the country due to companies over boosting the price of goods. Regardless La Gonave would need solar and wind to provide power. While the island would never be a power mega-house, it could become self-sustainable with energy. First the island residents would need to start off with basic solar panels of about 100W. Als...

Not long ago, the now ex-President Michel Martelly signed a decree that allowed the island of La Gonave to be entered into a long term land lease. The company, which was foreign, would have been able to own all things on the island (movable and immovable), and would have setup accounts to a foreign bank for a tax haven. In return, the company claimed it would build up the island and provide jobs, housing, education, etc for the island's people. Most local Haitians on the island felt that this would not happen and they would get the short end of the stick. In fact we stopped working on the island when we found out the decree was signed. Anything that we would have put on the island would be owned by this company. So why invest in something just to have it tied up in legal battles and even possibly loosing your investment.? What stopped the process at the time of the decree was that Haiti didn't have a full Parliament so they couldn't vote on it. Without a vote, the d...

For those who read this blog, they may ask what is wrong with using charcoal to cook your food? Actually in Haiti it has lead to devastating issues that compound. For one making charcoal requires the cutting down of trees. Once a lush forest is now a desert. Only 1-3% of the original forest cover still exists in Haiti. Cutting down trees, and not replacing them leads to soil erosion, weathering of the soil from the sun, wind, and rain, and even make an area arid. Haiti lacks food and water security, most of which traces back to the lack of good soil, which traces itself back to deforestation. Is deforestation the only cause of the lack of food and water security, no. It is a major problem that must be addressed and locals must adopt a different way of preparing meals and heating of water. Haiti, like many poor countries has access to kerosene. Kerosene was once widely used and lost favor over propane and electricity. Not only can kerosene power a refrigerator but also sto...

No doubt companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft make major impacts on their local, state, and Federal economies.  These companies hire and train specialist that command a strong economy which trickles down to other services and businesses in their areas. Haiti is behind the fence on many advancements including IT (information technology).  While there are tablet makers and wireless companies that are in the area as well as internet connections, the country is still not active online. In fact to get a domain that ends in ht which is for Haiti, it costs about $99 US, while you can get a .com, or eve a .kr (Korea) for less than $20 US.  This barrier to entry prevents the country from being online in one instance, and puts the country into obscurity.  While there are mild internet connects in the country, mainly due to wireless telephone companies and large internet towers, Haiti must improve it's IT infrastructure. Imagine the IT infrastructure on La Gonave....

Composting Facilities are critical for Haiti Currently Haiti as well as Dominican Republic are in the midst of Cholera crisis.  While this bacterial infection was caused by improper sewage dumping from UN peace keepers, it is causing massive destruction on Hispaniola.  Many people end up drinking contaminated water, which increases the illness. Proper handling of raw human sewage will prevent this situation from spreading further.  Given that there are virtually no sewage treatment plants in Haiti, this can quickly spiral out of control.  Composting human waste is the best thing that Haiti can do.  When you look at the massive cost of building a waste treatment plant, the cost of laying down sewage pipes, the lack of water, having a large scale waste treatment plant for Haiti is not in the cards.  This may change over time, but in the immediate future, composting treatment plant(s) is a solution.  These facilities are inexpensive to build, can...

La Gonave lacks water, much like many parts of Haiti, there is no water.  Ironically there is a tremendous amount of water surrounding the country.  For the most part, the sea water doesn't help the country solve the dire water conditions. One major way to fighting hunger and chronic drought is to put desalination plants on La Gonave that can be powered by solar power. Systems like the one above can produce 12,000 gallons of water per day.  These systems can serve the citizens drinking water needs.  Given that many parts of the land on La Gonave has some pollution issues from raw sewage, or bad terrain, building a small system that can pull water in from the ocean, and then pump that fresh water into a holding system is one of the best ways to have long term water solutions. Building large reservoirs in the city of Anse-a-Galets would be critical in addressing the water issue for citizens.  In fact many American cities, such as Seattle used water reservo...

When you look at La Gonave many folks will say that the different villages and towns lack critical infrastructure.  Fire, schools, police, hospitals, post offices, clinics, parks, community centers, administrative buildings, etc.  These are buildings that I am calling common core structures. These are buildings that are typically needed in most villages and towns.  If you look at a blue print for building up the island, establishing common core structures is a starting point.  The idea is to build only those structures I mentioned above in a concentrated area, with no streets.  Streets may form a border around Common Core, but pedestrian paths would be used between the structures.  The goal is to lower the overall cost of construction, but mimic the type of structures in one village to another.  Hence the name Common Core since these are common buildings that form the core of the villages.  Think of them as the downtown of the villages. These ...

Most can agree that the lack of electricity on the island of La Gonave is a major problem.  While there is a public utility company in Anse-a-Galets, the power is only on for a few hours each day.  While that can be sufficient for some, if they have solar panels and batteries, it doesn't benefit most.  At night street vendors are illuminated by the passing motorbike lights. So many issues plague the electric issue on the island.  The geography makes connecting remote places tricky, and urban areas are often too difficult to provide power due to the lack of physical dwellings. So creativity is needed to help solve the issue on the island of La Gonave with respect to electricity.  Obviously solar power is going to be the best bet going.  Solar is getting more affordable daily, it is quick to implement, typically less maintenance, and Haiti has a large volume of sun.  The typical solar setup is using large batteries used in golf carts or tow motors. ...

One way to help build up the economy on La Gonave is by farming, but not necessarily traditional crops.  Currently we are using modern beekeeping to raise organic honey.  While beekeeping isn't new, using modern hives is something that is new for La Gonave and Haiti.  Using this method will produce more honey, and allow for a safer way to extract honey. Also while on La Gonave, we started the first steps of raising Kiwano.  Kiwano is a wonderful crop as it does will in tropical climate and can do well in drought.  The plant does well in Africa, so having such a crop in Haiti can allow La Gonave to have a strong market in Kiwano.  Currently this crop is already in the small sprout stage and will fruit sometime this summer. Hurko and Let's Build Gonave Haiti loves being the first at what we do.  The first Observation Hive was awarded to an organization on La Gonave, thanks to Hurko getting involved in the process.  The first Kiwano plant is also...

 These are now trained beekeepers on the island of La Gonave.  In Anse-a-Galets these locals are now trained in modern beekeeping, which will prepare them for a new income stream.  Notice the wooden observation hive in the top right.  This was installed in the city of Anse-a-Galets, the first of its kind anywhere in Haiti. The "Ray of Hope" shining over the island of La Gonave and her people!

One of the things that I find very interesting is that the country of Haiti doesn't have a lot of irrigation systems.  When you look at the current drought situation, the nation should invest in low cost methods of moving water from large lakes to the countryside. While this one is paved in concrete, this isn't something that has to be done as many are built right into the land.  These channels literally allow for water to be regulated so that it can go to farms in need. When we look at places like La Gonave it isn't as easy.  There are no large lakes that are in the countryside, or anywhere on the island.  So while an irrigation system would still work, it would need to be built around reserve water wells.  Wells that would not have public access could be built so that water is then forced out to specific farms.  These farms would have to meet a minimum size and raise crops that the island is highly dependent on, such as rice. These canals would be...

There is rumor that the island has been sold to a foreign development group.  The claim is that the now former President Martially sold the island on the final days of his presidency.  Is this true? From the sounds of it, it seems as if the President signed a contract with a foreign development company.  Now the president doesn't own Haiti so selling the land isn't something that he would be able to do.  Also keep in mind that the Haitian Parliament has to vote on the issue.  Given that there is currently no president in the country, the chances of movement on this issue this year is slim.  Also a new president can possible back out of the deal. Here is my stance.  As I have been advocating for many years now, the island should develop as a Special Administrative Region that is RULED by the HAITIANS on the island!  Period!  If folks would ban together, push for a special region, then the locals can avoid potential issues such as this. ...

We have built the La Gonave Honeybee Association page which is set to go live March 1st.  I will be releasing the page via here today so that you have a couple of hours chance to see the page before everyone else. For those outside of the US, I apologize as it is already March 1st where you are. Website:  lagonavehoneybee.tk Go Gonave!

We found existing hives on the island of La Gonave, which was great news.  These hives however are kept in logs and rocks by the beekeeper.  This "Old World" style of beekeeping isn't effective in honey production, hive maintenance, and brood production.  We will be working with this beekeeper to supply our stock of bees, since the deal in Arcahaie fell through. While on the island I successfully trained 6 people in beekeeping with 4 becoming beekeepers.  This is a major success as I had originally planned for only 4 people to be training.  With the help of a translator and using Greater Good's Campus, we were able to build a beginning honeybee project and officially launch the La Gonave Honeybee Association. Also I was there and put up the observation hive for Greater Good Haiti.  I assisted in applying for a grant that launched made this observation hive possible.  This hive will be great in teaching young students, new beekeepers, and the commun...

The countdown to La Gonave is coming up.  During my trip there, I will be teaching 4 adult student apprentices about beekeeping.  The goal is to have them at the certified beekeeper level before I leave the island.  We also will be installing 2 or 3 hives. The observation hive may come in time for our partner to bring it with her to the island.  If that is the case, we will install the hive there at that time.  We do know that the $1,500 hive has been awarded to our partner not-for-profit.  This is the first observation hive to ever have existed on La Gonave, and possibly the entire country of Haiti! Since we lost the grant for the pollinator park, we will be teaming up with the same not-for-profit an reapplying for the grant.  This could allow us to continue down the path of having a pollinator park soon on the island soon!  We are extremely excited about this project and are already finding ways to do more with less funds.  We decided t...

The idea of building a 5,000 sq. ft pollinator garden with a large community garden surrounding it took a major blow on Wednesday.  The first phase of the park would have been 1,250 sq. ft.  The second phase would have funded the rest of the park.  Phase 1 would have started construction in early 2017. The park was up against many different projects from around the world, and many dealt with projects that could help save lives or create jobs.  While the pollinator project will create jobs, the organization felt that while the project was worthy, other projects outweighed ours.  The encouraged us to apply again in the future. The project is not dead, and still very much alive.  The project was going to continue regardless of the grant outcome.  While the size and plans of the park have changed, the overall project will still move forward.  The idea is to have the project start in early 2017, and still contain many of the same elements of the ot...

 Large development projects usually include large buildings, however that isn't always the case.  Some of the first developments on La Gonave will be built to serve the population size, test the market with little expenses, and projects that can be built cheaply. Having small buildings that serve as small bars and shops will be the way to go.  Many ideas that will go into the Focus City such as building bikeways, and pedestrian only paths make having small village style buildings the way to go.  We are currently looking at affordable ways of construction, and below is an example of an open-air style pub that we have been looking at for La Gonave. The idea with all of the development structures is that they have a radius around the structure where there has to be a foot path incorporated into the plan.  This builds up infrastructure while not utilizing public funds, but also allows the business to have their own style. Such a structure like the one below ...

Remember late last year when we mentioned how bike paths could be a major step forward for La Gonave?  Well we haven't forgotten how this simple path could be a way for the rural parts of the island to reach major areas such as Anse-a-Galets. While these paths can be made from concrete, asphalt, to even gravel, the costs of such a system is much cheaper and faster to build than say a road.  These paths will allow for greater access to economic development and access to services.  Even tourist can use these paths as a way to go from place to place. It makes sense to build bikeways that can be part of the urban and rural landscape.  Incorporating these bikeways with new development is one way to go about this.  Planning where these bikeways could be will be key where future housing could even be placed. Purchasing a bike is much cheaper for island residents as there are less maintenance cost and no fuel expenses.  Also having a bike lessens the pollut...