Phase 1
(Updated: November 2, 2011)
After the earthquake—and partly due of our proximity to the Dominican Republic—we quickly established a supply line over land, transporting nearly $20K of relief items into Haiti each day. Because of our local networks, a highly effective grassroots effort blossomed with very little overhead, few liabilities, and no waste.
In Haiti, the challenges are even more deeply rooted than the decimation portrayed by the media in January. For a number of complicated reasons, both culture and society have failed to thrive, overshadowing their redemptive qualities.
While many organizations address disasters and crisis from the outside-in or top-down, the Paulos Group takes the inside-out, bottom-up approach; living directly among those who are suffering, learning their language and values, understanding their needs, and working together toward solutions that make sense. We call this incarnational living, and we believe it’s the only way foreign help makes a lasting impact. Why? Because when we live in a place like Haiti (not walled in a compound or as a commuter), in very real ways “their” problems become our problems too. They’re not just something we see in the news, they directly affect our families—our children. Being fully invested, we have the greatest incentive to work hard toward change. We’re not contracted workers that get paid large sums of money to move from crisis to crisis when the former is no longer fashionable, we’re committed to the long-term investment Haiti needs to emerge from the ruins.
In October, we broke ground on Phase 1 of a vision for substantial and sustainable urban development. Although the concept isn’t dissimilar to other proposed resettlement projects; the process is. Two distinct features of our work are: 1) living within the community we are developing, and 2) adding value through privatization and ownership. As our work takes shape, these two factors will illustrate how the process—particularly in an environment lacking precedents and standards—is of greater importance than the plan, and will greatly determine our success.
We intend to integrate residential and economic development with a focus on appropriate and working utilities—a deficiency constantly stunting growth here. Phases 2 and 3 can be scaled up or down based on what we learn from Phase 1, taking into consideration performance and demand. Residences will be made available through a buy-in process defined and managed by an association of homeowners and business owners. A typical house will retail for $15,000. We desire to push the limits of excellence, while simultaneously maintaining an environment accessible to even those with very little means.
A breakdown of the costs, timeline and impact are as follows (click here for an expanded version of the budget):
Phase 1 Financing to be secured through private and corporate investors. Buildout consists of 10 prototype homes, basic utilities using renewable resources, and microenterprise development. Completion date: 2013
Phase 2 Financing to be secured through private and corporate investors, shifting toward securing grants. Buildout consists of 25 more homes, systematizing utilities, and emphasizing economic development. Management issues integrated. Completion date: 2016
Phase 3 Financing to be secured through investors, grants and international development funds. Buildout consists of an additional 100 homes, managed utilities, and the development of public space and facilities—including a locally sustainable school and clinic. Governance issues integrated. Completion date: 2020
Our proposed per capita costs are very much in line with the $15B committed to Haiti after the quake and the estimated 1.5M displaced persons urgently needing assistance.
Currently, we are $275,000 into the $725,000 needed for Phase 1. As alluded to above, we purchased and cleared a 25-acre parcel of land, and are finishing construction on the first prototype units. In the remainder of 2011 and into early 2012 we plan to complete 5 additional spec homes, expand our water and electric capacity significantly, and build upon healthy economic initiatives already in place.
Quickly and successfully completing Phase 1 is essential to having a platform to request and tap into the larger financial resources necessary to develop a fully functioning community, one which will demonstrate exemplary and reproducible qualities that can benefit all of Haiti. We urge you to consider investing with us in the kind of organic work and ministry that can transform a community, region and even a nation! Click here to invest with us online (your gift is tax-deductible), or mail to:
Paulos Group
3170 Airmans Drive
Unit 1085-PALO
Fort Pierce, FL 34946
info@paulosgroup.org
(305) 484-9192