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AIDG takes first steps to establishing new incubated business in Cap Haitien, the second largest city in Haiti
Weston, MA – When Peter Haas and Catherine Lainé of AIDG visited Cap Haitien last August, they saw a lot of potential business opportunities in Haiti’s second largest city.
“There were many basic services that the population needs, which they just are not getting access to,” says Haas, AIDG’s Executive Director. “A properly placed business could do much to address some of these issues and make a decent profit at the same time”.
Over 60% of Cap-Haitien's inhabitants do not have adequate sanitation
in their homes. The public latrines that do exist are rarely maintained
because of a lack of funds. With no other options, many residents
resort to defecating in the open, often in nearby bodies of water, or
in plastic bags. Feces in plastic bags has earned the facetious name of
“flying toilets”, as they are often hurled onto solid waste piles or
roofs.
AIDG’s aim is to create a small business that will alleviate part of
this problem by maintaining the public latrines. Typically, latrines in
Cap-Haitien are emptied by hand with shovels. It is slow, unpleasant,
and dangerous work; the danger comes from the absence of suitable
protective clothing or equipment. When finished, the waste is not
properly disposed of and is usually dumped in local mangrove swamps,
increasing the contamination of local water sources.
The development of a low-cost pumping solution would increase the
speed and safety of latrine cleaning. Adaptation of AIDG’s biodigester
technology could also allow for the safe processing of human waste to
kill harmful pathogens.
"The plan is to create an economically and ecologically sustainable
operation that will not only significantly improve sanitation but will
also provide biogas as a clean cookfuel to many neighborhoods in Cap
Haitien," Haas explains.
To get started in this effort, AIDG will be bringing Sarah Brownell
on board in August. Ms. Brownell is an ecological sanitation expert
with significant experience in Haiti and strong relations with the
local city government.
Just as with AIDG’s first incubated business, XelaTeco, the new
business in Haiti will receive training, help with business planning,
equipment/material procurement as well as financial, technical and
logistical support.
The overall cost of AIDG’s expansion into Haiti, including business
incubation expenses, is estimated between $90,000 and $100,000.
More about Sarah BrownellSarah Brownell received her
Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Rochester
Institute of Technology, and her Master’s in environmental engineering
from the University of California at Berkeley. Since 1998, she has been
working on water treatment, solar power, and ecological sanitation
projects with the organization Haiti Outreach Pwoje Espwa in Borgne,
Haiti. She helped found the Sant Teknoloji Brase Lide Brainstorming
Technology Center in Borgne in 2003. She has also been an active member
of the Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) and co-founder of SOIL,
an NGO dedicated to ecological sanitation in Haiti.
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