Join the Club

Roots of Development is asking its supporters to join the Sustainers Club, a group of monthly donors that are committed to helping Roots be a truly sustainable organization.

At a minimum of just $5/month, you can help increase the only type of support we can rely on every month. What is even more exciting is that from now until June 30th, you will receive one raffle ticket for each $5 increment you donate to win one of the prizes below.  And, for every $5 increment someone else donates because of a referral from you, you will receive an additional raffle ticket.

Why a monthly donation versus a one-time donation?

Sustainability is at the heart of Roots’ mission both in and out of Haiti. In order to truly commit to our partners in Haiti we need to know we have the resources to back up our promises. We count on monthly donors for funding that is predictable and consistent.

Membership Benefits

Every member of the Sustainers Club that donates $25/month or more will receive a Roots tote bag, and each member that donates $50/month or more will receive a handmade piece of Haitian metalwork.
 

For this two-month campaign in particular, we are excited to have the following prizes*:

- A two-night/three-day stay at the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort in Florida

- A beautiful piece of handmade Haitian artwork

- A ticket to the Boston Red Sox vs. the Detroit Tigers game on 5/31

*Donors receive one raffle ticket for every $5 increment they commit to donating a month, or for every $5 increment current monthly donors decide to increase their donation.
 

Additionally, at the end of the campaign, the individual that has signed up to donate the most per month will receive a unique piece of Haitian metalwork directly from Croix-des-Bouquets. 

For more details on prizes and eligibility, please visit the Monthly Donor Campaign Page.

Some residents of communities neighboring Gran Sous still drink contaminated surface water.  That’s why Roots and APDAG have plans to expand access to potable water in Nan Riske, Nan Kafe, and install a shower facility and filter in Gran Sous.

In addition to those projects, Roots’ current water project in Nan Plim, funded by a matching grant from One Day’s Wages is nearing completion.  Once the water tank is filled and purified, 1200 people will have access to clean water.

Today is INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, and a great opportunity to honor your wife, your mother, your daughter, your granddaughter, your sister, your aunt, your godmother, your girlfriend, your boss, or a colleague.

This year, honor everything women represent in the world by making a donation to the eighty-five member women’s group we work with in Haiti called GFDAG (pronounced “jev-dahg”). Your donation will directly support the opening of a community business that will create jobs for the women and bring in revenue that will allow them to maintain past projects and fund new ones.

DIRECTIONS:

When you make a donation today in honor of a special woman, we let that person know a donation was made in their honor, and then hand over the funds to GFDAG so they can purchase goods and get the business up and running.

A $10 donation represents 2 cases of bar soap GFDAG can resell for a profit
A $25 donation represents 1 sack of rice GFDAG can resell for a profit
A $40 donation represents 1 case of canned milk GFDAG can resell for a profit
A $75 donation represents 2 cases of cooking oil GFDAG can resell for a profit
A $100 donation represents 2 and a 1/2 large sacks of flour GFDAG can resell for a profit 

These women have worked very hard to plan for this project, sitting through over thirty-three days of business management and organizational development trainings. Your support today helps the women of GFDAG achieve greater independence tomorrow. For more information on this women’s business initiative click here.

During 2011, Roots and APDAG worked hard to prepare a series of both Basic Needs and Initiatives for Independence projects to launch in 2012.  We would like to share our ambitious plans for 2012 with you, our supporters.

Basic Needs Projects:

Water - Last summer’s cholera outbreak in Gran Sous occurred as we were raising funds to match a grant from One Day’s Wages.  That grant ensured a new water facility in the community of Nan Plim, protecting community members from future outbreaks.  We’re proud to see the project progressing, but overall access to clean water in the area is still limited.  In 2012 Roots and APDAG hope to construct a rainwater collection tank in the community of Nan Riske, a shower facility with a greywater filtration system in Gran Sous, and begin work on a water treatment facility in the community of Nan Kafe.

Environmental Evaluation – In partnership with Seven Hills Global Outreach and a Haitian university, Roots will be supporting an evaluation of the local environment and a study into the agricultural production capacity of Gran Sous.  Currently, residents import a large amount of food from mainland Haiti.  We want to help residents of Gran Sous increase the quality and quantity of the food they grow to economically and nutritionally benefit local families.

Initiatives for Independence:

Women’s Group Business - After completing 30 days of workshops conducted by Femmes en Democratie, the women of GFDAG are almost ready to begin their business.  With the help of Femmes en Democratie, GFDAG will register with the Government of Haiti and purchase bulk goods for resale in and around Gran Sous.  Goods will be sold to GFDAG’s members at a reduced rate and eliminate the difficult trip to mainland Haiti that many women currently endure to buy items for resale on La Gonave.  All of this work will help earn money for their families, but the business has a secondary goal.  Profits will be used to pay for the education-related costs of local orphans who would otherwise not receive an education.

Construction Materials Business - After purchasing land for La Gonave’s construction materials business in 2011, Roots is now working to complete the next phase of the project.  In the upcoming year Roots aims to purchase the businesses machinery; a sand grinder and hydraulic concrete block press.  Eventually the project will require a perimeter wall, water tank, office space, and depot as the business expands.  Once completed, this business will employ the island’s residents and make the construction of new buildings and development projects more affordable and efficient.

For an overview of our Basic Needs and Initiatives for Independence projects, please visit our Projects page.

Approximately one year ago we received word that we were awarded a matching grant from One Day’s Wages to benefit the community of Nan Plim.  You, our supporters, helped us match One Day’s Wages’ commitment by August of last year, ensuring that work would begin before the year’s end.  Our plans were made stronger by the addition of a new team member.

In November, 2011, Yee Chen, an environmental engineer who previously worked in New Zealand and the Dominican Republic, travelled to La Gonave to work with Roots and APDAG in a capacity similar to that of a Peace Corps volunteer.  Having already spent a number of years in the Dominican Republic as a Peace Corps volunteer, we were confident that Yee could handle life in Gran Sous and aid APDAG’s engineer with engineering aspects.

With Yee present to support APDAG, the association discussed a timeline with the committee based in Nan Plim.  By early December crews of volunteers were out chipping away at local roads to expand and improve truck access to the construction site.  By the end of December the area was accessible by truck, the spring had been dug out, and the water reservoir was marked out for further preparation.

APDAG and Nan Plim wasted no time in the New Year, withdrawing funds to purchase materials within the first week of 2012.  Meetings continued weekly as the committee organized local volunteers, food preparation for volunteers, and general coordination with APDAG.  By mid-January the site had been radically transformed from its original state.  The spring had been captured with a concrete-lined structure, volunteers had dug out a trench over five feet deep for piping, and work had begun on the water reservoir.

It would be misleading to say that the work until this point has been without stress or complications.  The number of community volunteers has fluctuated from time to time and the women making the food for volunteers had a dispute over payment from the committee in Nan Plim.  A two- week delay occurred in late January because the committee in Nan Plim had not purchased construction materials in preparation for the next phase, frustrating APDAG.

For Roots and APDAG, none of these issues are incredibly overwhelming or new, but APDAG and Roots are experiencing them in new ways.  The project in Nan Plim represents the first major partnership between APDAG and another community group.  Whereas Roots once guided APDAG through projects and facilitated discussions, APDAG now serves that role with the community group in Nan Plim.  During this water project, Roots staff have left decision-making in the hands of APDAG and Nan Plim while closely monitoring progress and financial reports.

After the two-week break ended, APDAG and Nan Plim community members are back to work.  Volunteers were slow to arrive initially, but over fifty volunteers eventually arrived to create a human chain to pass buckets of cement used to build the floor and walls of the reservoir.  By the end of last week the tank was finished and the community had begun work on the protective walls surrounding the spring intake to prevent erosion in the future.  At the current pace, we estimate the project will be finished by the end of March.  Stay tuned to Facebook and Our Blog for more frequent project updates and photos.

For earlier updates and photos click here and here.

]]> http://www.rootsofdevelopment.org/2012/02/february-newsletter-an-update-from-nan-plim/feed/ 0 http://www.rootsofdevelopment.org/2012/02/2011-annual-report/ http://www.rootsofdevelopment.org/2012/02/2011-annual-report/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:48:07 +0000 chad http://www.rootsofdevelopment.org/?p=4264
Click on the image above to open a PDF of our 2011 Annual Report.

]]> http://www.rootsofdevelopment.org/2012/02/progress-in-nan-plim-pt-2/feed/ 0 http://www.rootsofdevelopment.org/2012/01/progress-in-nan-plim-pt-1/ http://www.rootsofdevelopment.org/2012/01/progress-in-nan-plim-pt-1/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:35:46 +0000 chad http://www.rootsofdevelopment.org/?p=4124

Work in Nan Plim is moving quickly thanks to APDAG, community members in Nan Plim, and Yee, our on-the-ground engineer.  After local residents cleared a fallen tree from the site back in September, Fefe, the head of the community group in Nan Plim, dug down to find the spring.  After approximately 1.5 meters he hit water.

In the weeks that followed, dozens of volunteers in the community worked to clear and expand roads leading to the spring to accommodate large trucks.  At the same time, APDAG and Nan Plim committee members travelled to Anse-a-Galets and Port-au-Prince to purchase construction materials.  After work on the roads  was completed, volunteers marked and dug out the future space of the 21,000 liter reservoir.

The reservoir’s capacity will exceed Gran Sous’ by 3,000 liters, allowing for significant growth in demand from the local population.  Our first water project in Gran Sous has seen demand quadruple since its inception.  When this new facility is complete, people from Nan Plim will not have to make the trek to Gran Sous for water, simultaneously easing their burden and lowering demand in Gran Sous.   

By early January the area around the source had been transformed from a rough dirt hole in the ground to concrete-lined protective structure.  Community members also dug an almost six-foot tall trench to lay piping that will connect the source to the reservoir.  We’re excited to see work moving so quickly in Nan Plim and want to thank you again for all of your support.  This project would not exist without your donations and a generous matching grant from One Day’s Wages.  Stay tuned for more updates!

Images (top to bottom):
1. A community member digging out the source.
2. Reinforcing the area around the source.
3. The captured source.

Last month the French Club at East Hampton High School in Connecticut helped organize another fundraiser to benefit Roots’ work in Haiti.  The school held a competition between classes in which students could purchase a brick for 50 cents or three for a dollar.  Each class “built” a brick house in their cafeteria, raising $728.90 in just over one week’s time.

Congratulations to the Junior class on winning a breakfast and Thank You on behalf of APDAG and Roots for your efforts. All donations will go toward APDAG’s block-making business.  In 2012 we are focused on completing Phases II and III, which include purchasing the equipment for APDAG to begin generating revenue.  Money raised in Connecticut last Fall was used to purchase a tract of land containing a sand pit.  That land will serve as the future site for APDAG’s business.  If you have any clever fundraising ideas please feel free to contact us at info@rootsofdevelopment.org.