A young man studying by streetlight on the steps of a church.
Walk around a Haitian town’s “centre ville” at night, and the scene will not vary widely. You will see dark streets - some paved, many dirt - a few bodegas lit by private generators, and vendor after vendor selling produce, snacks or toiletries by kerosene lamp on the ground or on a table. You will also see students - scores of students of all ages - studying on the church steps, the street corner, or under the overhanging roof of a bar or bodega; anywhere they can find a bright electric light.
It is difficult to fathom the pent-up demand for affordable, reliable electric lighting in Haiti. To see it first hand is shocking - it just doesn’t compute. We can rehash the issue of why so much money is wasted on low-quality fuels when solutions exist so many times, but it doesn’t change the reality.
A few vendors are lucky enough to have received solar electric lamps as gifts from family or friends in America, as it is impossible to buy such a lamp here. I spoke with three women who were selling their wares at night by the illumination of their BoGo lights. These three women have had their lamps for 6, 12 and 24 months, and they are still working in fine condition. You can see pictures of them and other scenes of Terrier Rouge at night.
SunNight Solar, the company that makes the BoGo light, has recently entered into a partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative called Light Haiti. This program will bring some 500,000 BoGos into the country for dissemination by non-profit organizations. EarthSpark International is in the process of becoming an implementing partner. I brought six BoGo lights with me on this trip to test out, and have so far given one to the night security guard at Jatropha Pepinye - a 20Ha Jatropha plantation and biodiesel demonstration facility.
Me standing with the staff of Jatropha Pepinye. The donated BoGo light hangs from JP Manager George's belt loop.
Yesterday I visited the Haven Project near Ouanaminthe for an event they held to honor the work being done there and all who had contributed. We are in the midst of Haven’s “Build it Week,” during which 260 mostly Irish volunteers have come to supplement the efforts of local builders.
Haven was founded by Leslie Buckley, the Vice-Chariman of Digicel, Haiti’s largest cell phone carrier, and his wife Carmel. Build it Week marks the near-completion of the 200 homes they’ve sponsored.
The leaders of Haven had the foresight to wire the homes for electricity, and have even built a distribution grid currently powered by diesel generators. Soon, though, the diesel generators will be removed, and a long-term sustainable solution needs to be developed. EarthSpark is discussing with Leslie and Hugh Brennan, the CEO of Haven, how we can help.
A conversation about the design of the buildings broke out while we toured the homes. From l to r, Anne Hastings, the Director of Fonkoze (www.fonkoze.org); Hugh Brennan, CEO of the Haven Project; Maarten Boute, CEO of Digicel; and Leslie Buckley, Founder of Haven and Vice-Chairman of Digicel.
Check out more of my pictures from the Haven Project.
JP Manager George fixes the biodiesel transesterifier.
Here in Terrier Rouge, I’ve been visiting the remarkable Jatropha Pepinye project for the past few days. In just two years, JP has demonstrated the technical viability of the Jatropha value chain. A top-of-the-line expeller produces Jatropha oil, and a micro-biodiesel plant built by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center yields biodiesel and glycerin. The project currently employs six full-time staff, and is experimenting with recipes for liquid soap production.
While I’ve been here, JP has been hosting volunteers from the nearby Haven Project, which is devoted to building quality homes in small towns in Haiti. Haven principally uses local contractors for construction, but is now in the midst of its “build-it week” where 260 volunteers (mostly from Ireland) are plastering, painting and installing plumbing and home wiring in the 200 homes which have been built here.
The influential blog Haiti Innovation has published a post I wrote about the Jatropha economy in Haiti. I also wrote about how our tree nursery business in Coteaux is playing a part in this emerging market. You can read it here.
This video footage was taken yesterday on the way from Hinche to Fort Liberte, Haiti. Views during the entire trip, which originated in Port-au-Prince and lasted a little over an hour, were not so different from what can be seen in this video.
