Visiting Haven

by Daniel Schnitzer

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.

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