Forever scarring the memory of millions, the events of January 12th 2010 have challenged Haiti to endure the sudden loss of over 150,000 people. However infamous this day will remain in history, the outset of the tragedy has only exacerbated the country’s long struggle with poverty, stifling further its ability to meet its potential in each of the three core dimensions of Human Development – education, public health and living standard. Haiti’s drastic environmental degradation problems and disproportionate illiteracy levels epitomize the challenges that thousands of communities around the world will need to confront as a new decade ensues.
Innovative and comprehensive, The Self-Sustainable Micro-Community concept is at the forefront in addressing these challenges. SSMC establishes at its centerpiece the construction of a 27 prefabricated-unit community equipped with the fundamental components of development, targeting critical issues encompassing energy autonomy, agro-environmental restoration, public health and education. Each of these issues are approached through comprehensive programs – further detailed in sections below – in view of mushrooming development in regional areas around the community.
This SSMC model combines short-term relief – the units being 85% prebuilt at the time of arrival – with long-term development, meeting both aspects of Haiti’s urgent needs. Each unit has a capacity to house 10 to 15 people, projecting the size of the community to revolve around 220 inhabitants. In view of reducing high socio-economic disparities and potential social tensions between residents of the micro-community and inhabitants in immediate surrounding areas, Dynamic Development calls for the implementation of a progressive landscape – best attained by providing relief tents to neighboring inhabitants.
The long-term autonomy and self-reliance of the micro-community will be built on the establishment of 3 educational units, 1 computer center unit, 3 medical units, 1 Solar Water-Distillation Cylinder, 1 crop plantation, 1 chicken farm, access to fishing and the widespread use of renewable energies. This autonomy allows the micro-community to act as an economic and educational engine, gradually lifting regional standards of living. Among myriad expansionary development features of the community, education is largely our overarching focus in seeking regional development. Teaching inhabitants from neighboring villages ways to detect disease symptoms, to build basic solar ovens, to individually purify water and to cultivate a crop plantation without eroding the soil, are all a part of the underlying objective of having a regional impact. Likewise, training in basic medical procedures will also be provided both inside and outside of the community – along with the previously mentioned educational programs – in view of maximizing the micro-community’s effectiveness. For instance, training in standard childbirth procedures can substantially help improve the condition of women in the broader area. In today’s global environment, Dynamic Development requires to accompany regional education programs with regional connectivity programs. For this end, a CyberBus – a bus equipped with solar-powered WiFi and computers – will circulate across villages following a fixed itinerary in order to connect non-community inhabitants to global knowledge, including access to websites like Wikipedia or Youtube.
The sum of these programs – further detailed in following sections – subsequently set a framework in which the SSMC is an instrument – and not an end – to incrementally spread human development regionally.
WELCOME TO BEDASSY
1. COMMUNITY COMPONENTS:
- 16 Shelter Units
- Each Unit has a housing capacity ranging from 10 to 15 people
- 3 Educational Units
- Educational Units Will Reserve 1/3rd of its Teaching Space for Non-Community Residents
- 3 Medical Units
- Aspiring Doctors & Nurses Will be Selected to Receive Hands-On Training
- Medical Units will hold information sessions to teach residents about disease prevention measures they can employ in their daily lives
- 2 Sanitary Units (Showers + Restrooms
- Men & Women Separated)
- 1 Computer Center Unit
- 1 Kitchen Unit
- 1 Orphanage Unit
- 1 Community Plaza (Building Social Cohesiveness)
- § TOTAL: 27 UNITS + An Additional 300 Tents for Surrounding Neighborhoods in Order to Avoid High Socio-Economic Disparities
- Assisting Short-Term Relief through Prefabricated Housing Units
- Meeting Long-Term Needs
- Anticipating Natural Hazards
- Earthquakes, Floods & Hurricanes
- Leaving a 0 Carbon Footprint
- Recycling Used Water for Irrigation
- The Grey Water Cistern System
- Insulation: Moderating Indoor Temperatures
- 500 Trees
- Preventing Soil Erosion or Keeping the Soil Fertile
- Stabilizing the Concentration of Water in the Soil
- Preventing Floods, Droughts and Mudslides
- NOTA BENE: Units will have devised systems to completely open on one side in order to accommodate the Haitian cultural custom of ‘living outdoors’.
- Solar and Wind Power are cornerstone to the community’s energy independence, environmental restoration and long-term viability. In this vein, Bedassy’s autonomy embodies a prelude of the kinds of the measures that thousands of communities around the world will need to embrace over the 21st Century.
- Solar and Wind Energy will power lighting, WiFi systems and hot ater
- Assessing the level of the community consumption & production of resources (water & electricity) over the first 11 months
- ‘11 Months’ is the period during which strict management of resources will be enforced in of avoiding potential shortages
- The usage of water and electricity will subsequently be monitored closely and distributed selectively
- Providing Electricity to Surrounding Neighborhoods
- Storing Electricity Surpluses in Batteries
- Redistributing Surpluses to Neighboring Areas
- Empowering People through Knowledge
- Teaching People to Purify Water Themselves by Evaporation
- Solar Ovens can be built with materials as simple as aluminum foil
- and cardboard and can allow people regionally2 to purify their water
- Teaching People about the Importance of Sanitary Habits
- Giving Medical Training to People from Neighboring Areas
- Teaching People to Purify Water Themselves by Evaporation
- Early Detection
- Teaching People about Disease Symptoms
- Providing Disease Screenings & Vaccination Services
- Fighting Vector-Borne Diseases (Esp. Malaria & Dengue Fever)
- 75% of infected cases are children.
- Installing Mosquito Nets on All Unit Openings
- Equipping Every Unit with Anti-Mosquito Products
- Equipping Medical Unit with anti-malarial drugs
- Building a Positive & Constructive Community Dynamic
- Promoting Community Values of Generosity, Compassion, Curiosity and Initiative
- Engaging the Youth in “Community Service Week-Ends” to Rebuild Neighboring Communities
- 1/3rd of Classes Reserved Non-Community Residents
- Training the Teachers and Nurses of Surrounding Areas
- Opening Up Residents to Global Knowledge Locally Through the Technology Center & Regionally Through The Cyber-Bus
- Developing Emergency Drills
- Teaching Women to Read and Write
- Giving Them Access to Mobility in the Socio-Economic Ladder
- Setting a Goal of a 50/50 Male/Female Ratio in the Distribution Community Tasks
- Providing Family Planning
- Informing Women about Contraception
- Enabling Women to Make an Educated Choice
- Providing Pre- & Post-Natal Care
- Assisting Deliveries & Caesarean Sections
- Providing HIV Screenings & Vaccination Services
- Building an Autonomous Livelihood
• Fish & Chicken Farming
These two types of farming are incredibly nutritious immediate sources of food. Their particular advantage is that they are harmless to the environment – unlike the cattle or goats that feed off vegetation.• Cultivating a Shade-Grown Plantation
The advantages of growing crops in the shade of trees are numerous. In the case of Haiti, the main ones are related to food security, environmental restoration and public health.
o With regards to environmental restoration, trees play a key role in moderating the concentration of water in the soil, reducing the effects of both droughts and floods, which is particularly important in Haiti given the tropical climate conditions and hurricane-prone geographic area. This plays a particularly important role in Haiti given its subtropical climate and hurricane-prone geographic location. Furthermore, taking into account that the roots of trees maintain the soil, Haiti’s absence of forestry has largely become a security issue over recent years, as the soil grows increasingly eroded – causing massive landslides during torrential rain seasons.
o With regards to food security and public health, trees are central in slightly different ways. The roots and the leaves of trees provide incredibly rich nutrients, rejuvenating the fertility of the soil over time and making the plantation a reliable and sustainable source of food supply. Furthermore the trees themselves can be an excellent source of fruit and spices, diversifying the kind of foods available to the community. Finally, the tree’s utility in reducing the severity of droughts and floods is as beneficial for agriculture – in preserving the crops – as it is for public health. Indeed, droughts and particularly floods are extremely conducive to the spread of vector-borne diseases like Malaria, Dengue Fever (mosquito-borne diseases), leptospirosis (rodent carried disease), Cholera and Diarrhea (water-borne).
- Creating Partnerships with COOPs to Promote Community & Generate Income (Exporting Saffron Pineapples and Other Tropical High-Value Added Crops)
- Fostering Long-Term Regional Development
• Educational Out-Reach Weekend Program Will Physically Expand Development in Neighboring Villages
• Teaching People to Build Solar Ovens (Made Out of Aluminum Foil & Cardboard as represented in image above)
• Equipping People of Neighboring Villages with Training in All Fundamental Areas Necessary for the Functioning of Any Society
Education programs will be critical on the short-term to establish efficacious disease prevention measures, spread sustainable agricultural techniques, etc. On a long-term perspective, these programs tailored for non-community inhabitants embody effective tools to substantively further the SSMC’s overarching purpose – bettering living standards in neighboring areas outside of the community.
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DEVELOPMENT ⇔ MORALE
EMPOWERING AMPUTEES IN A NEW SOCIETY
• Hardly one month after the earthquake, the New York Times reported a rising number of 8,000 Haitians having undergone amputations following severe – and often potentially fatal – crush injuries
• Amputees embody among the deepest wounds of Haiti’s tragedy and their suffering will be a daily reminder of that which has been lost
• Giving amputees an opportunity to play a part and strive in society is at the forefront of recovering Haiti’s long-term morale
• Bedassy will reserve 5 Shelter Units for physically disabled Haitians – looking for inhabitants from diverse villages and neighborhoods
• Amputees will be taught ways to develop full mobility in view of overcoming their condition
• Amputees will have access to equal training in all areas offered to community residents – medical, literacy skills, computing skills, etc.
• Recreational Physical Activities will be available, tailored to the capacities and preferences of the amputees
DEVELOPING A SPECIAL OLYMPIC REGIONAL SPORT TOURNAMENT –SHOWCASING RESILIENCE
• Amputees will be encouraged to engage in competitive sport activities
• Upon high skill performance, community amputees will be encouraged to train other young disabled individuals from their home village in view of forming athletic sport teams
• The ultimate result would be region-wide Special Olympic Sport Tournaments
• Sport tournaments have always proved to be powerful instruments in bringing people together, generating hope and inspiration in communities recovering from sinister tragedies
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MEASURING SUCCESS
Success of the SSMC model and of the overarching Dynamic Development concept will be assessed differently at given points in time depending on the way they meet short and long-term goals.
During the first 11 months of the project, the SSMC will be deemed successful if it demonstrates an ability to remain environmentally friendly over time, successfully increase regional connectivity and avoid a major a major disease outbreak – or contain it if one occurs. Long-term success criteria will focus on the SSMC’s ability to develop autonomy and to expand development in neighboring communities.
With regards to the SSMC’s short-term environmental success, we look forward to report that the community is successfully maintaining a 0 carbon footprint while meeting its energy needs for all of its tasks. Likewise, we look forward to announcing the 1,000th tree being planted in the crop field. Concerning regional connectivity, we aim at having an immediate regional impact by providing programs for literacy and basic computer skills through the Cyber-Bus, which will operate like a mobile classroom, circulating across numerous villages. For this, our aim is to report by the end of the first 11 months that the Cyber-Bus is effectively assisting 700 people per week and 100 per day. Additionally, avoiding or containing a major disease outbreak is another important objective, for which we aim to provide all community residents with fundamental vaccines and medical screenings within the first two weeks after the completion of the infrastructure’s construction. Naturally, the public health program’s ultimate goal would be to report a 0 infection level or as previously stated the successful containment of whichever cases occur.
Assessing the SSMC’s long-term success will depend mostly on the way it fulfills its fundamental purpose – acting as an autonomous engine mushrooming development regionally. Success in planting the desired amount of trees will be instrumental in achieving of these two goals. For instance, trees play a key role in moderating the concentration of water in the soil, reducing the effects of both droughts and floods, which is particularly important in Haiti given the tropical climate conditions and hurricane-prone geographic area. The impact of trees is therefore not only remarkably beneficial for agriculture but prevents the establishment of propitious breeding conditions for Malaria and Dengue Fever mosquitoes – two problematic disease vectors in the region. For these reasons, planting 1000 trees is our immediate goal but will not be an end in itself. Finally, the SSMC’s success in expanding development regionally will largely be evaluated and measured by the evolution of local levels of education and overall living standard in neighboring villages. For this end, we aim at reporting the successful training of 20 teachers, 20 nurses and 20 farmers – with sustainable agricultural techniques – in four different villages over a period of 11 months. Each of these trainees will then be able to form their peers in their local neighborhoods, gradually raising levels of literacy, public health levels and living standard.
Finally, given that human development presupposes that inhabitants are in a psychological mindset of seeking to build better future, the SSMC addresses the critical non-material impact that ‘morale’ will have on the success of the programs. Intensive rehabilitation programs will set an initial goal of enabling the community’s 75 amputees with mobility abilities within the first 11-month time frame. As amputees demonstrate enhanced skills, they will be encouraged to participate in sport activities in an incrementally competitive environment. This step is aimed at allowing amputees to develop high physical performance abilities, to later on teach to peers from their village of origin. As previously stated, the ultimate goal is to establish region-wide sport tournaments – generating hope and inspiration through the amputees’ dynamism and sheer resilience.
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COST CHART- THE CONTAINER
- Unitary Price: $2,400
- Shipping-Style Container. 8 Foot Tall, 8 FootWide, and 40 Foot Long. Corten Steel. 1.25" thick.Marine Plywood Floor. Very Light Weight. Theseunits are ready to ship on a boat and stack. They are equipped with a strong locking door at one end. Possibility to cut openings for two doors andseveral small windows 6-8--for ventilation and natural light. Possibility to save the cutouts for shutters.
- WINDOWS
- Unitary Price: $2,000
- Price-competitive windows that could be salvaged--$50 each. Possibility of installing glass doors with shutters – all equipped with insect screens.
- SHUTTERS
- Unitary Price: 750
- Possibility to hinge and set up latching for the cutouts in view of a tightly sealed closing system for hurricanes or for security.
- CISTERN TANKS
- Unitary Price: $2,000
- Gutters added after setting up would direct the water to plastic tanks, placed under the container. A 12 Volt DC pump – similar to a vehicle fuel pump – would transport the water from the lower cisterns to the upper one. The resulting gravity-fed water system would push the water through a filter and solar heating.
- SOLAR PUMP & PIPING
- Unitary Price: $1,500
- Generating Solar Hot Water
- SOLAR REFRIGERATOR
- Unitary Price: $1,500
- A small super insulated fridge would run directly off the solar power. The resulting cold would be stored like electricity in a battery, powered by solar panels on the roof. These panels would run the solar pump and charge two other marine batteries. The ‘Chest Type’ Fridge/Freezer only uses about 300 watts per day.
- ROOF SOLAR PANELS
- Unitary Price: $10,000
- Possibility to bottle and store inside the box at the time of shipping. Solar Panels would be pre-made, ready to attach and hurricane proof. Panels would have a size of 3 KW and cover most of the roof,
- reinforcing insulation. The rest of the roof would be protected by the solar hot water system, preventing container to overheat in full sun.
- NOTE: Lowering the amount of solar wattage would substantially reduce this cost. Today the price per KW is less than $5000
- KITCHEN
- Unitary Price: $2,500
- Placed along the of the 40' long and equipped with open shelves, a stainless steel sink & a lightweight cement counter. A solar oven would be included and a hibachi or camp stove burner for boiling water.
- TOILETS
- Unitary Price: $1,200
- Compost toilets need no power and reprocess the raw sewage – making it usable within 6 months. Possibility to use a self-contained unit for smaller volumes of water use.
- LARGE SEWAGE TANK
- Unitary Price: $2,000
- The tank houses are horizontal axis barrels that require to be manually turned about every week. This aerates and accelerates decomposition. The end product is dry, solid and non-odorant – requiring it to be shoveled out after six months.
- BATHROOM AREA
- Unitary Price: N/A
- Built-inshowers, lined with recycled rubber sheeting made from tires (eco-surfaces). This rubber is high quality, strong and waterproof.
- The room would be framed with steel studs and sheathed on one side with marlite-type pressed wood. The outside of the bathroom wall would display built-in shelves. Showerheads with pullcords
- shut off automatically, allowing to save water. Finally, compost toilets use less than 8 oz of water per flush.
- BED / COUCH
- Unitary Price: $100
- Possibility of fold-down single beds along the walls. The beds can be plywood – or perhaps a light sheet of metal – with a 4-foot foam pad.
- TABLE, CHAIRS, INSULATION, UPPER WINDOWS, KITCHEN COOKWARE AND SILVERWARE
- Unitary Price: $2,000
- The surface of the inside of the box would be a 1- foot thick fiberglass coated insulating panel – keeping the unit cooler in the summer. Upper windows would contribute to ventilation and natural light – allowing more usable wall space and privacy.
TOTAL Per Unit: $30,450
NOTE: Quantity could reduce prices by 10% – 20%-------------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to contribute to our efforts, or if you would like more information, please contact Rory Silver or Jacob Helberg at thenextfrontier.haiti@gmail.com. No great idea can come to fruition without the necessary funding, so if you or anyone you know would like to contribute to our efforts, please let us know.
- THE CONTAINER
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INFRASTRUCTURE
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DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY: RECONCILING HAITI WITH HAITIAN LIVELIHOODS
DISEASE PREVENTION
EDUCATION
WOMEN’S RIGHTS
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HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
All of the development programs articulated in the previous section were designed to independently address fundamental issues necessary for the long-term viability of a healthy and autonomous community. However these programs may differ in nature, they all serve the common objective of incrementally raising the standards of human development in the broader region.
