May 26, 2022 –
Dear Roots Supporter,
We have an exciting update on the Community Leadership & Development Center that our partner organization in Haiti, Rasin Devlopman, is building on the island of La Gonave! On May 8, the land was formally surveyed in order to provide the architect with the measurements needed to complete the design of the facility. This represents an exciting step forward and progress towards its construction.
Why Build a Community Leadership Center?
The island of La Gonave is isolated and ignored. Local authorities receive very little support from the central government. And, even in a country full of charities and NGOs, there are very few present on the island. It is up to the local population to develop the island.
Local solutions implemented by local leaders are the most sustainable approaches to addressing poverty and developing La Gonave long-term.
This project will provide the island with a facility where local authorities can strengthen their management and leadership skills and communities can come together to plan and organize sustainable projects that improve quality of life on the island.
Leadership Center Timeline
November 4, 2021 – With your support, we helped our partner organization, Rasin Devlopman, make a deposit on a piece of land for the future center.
December 31, 2021 – Enough money was raised to complete the purchase of the land.
January 25, 2022 – Roots and Rasin begins reviewing proposals from four Haitian architectural firms.
March 2, 2022 – The architecture firm Moun Studio, led by architect Daniel Élie, is selected to design the community leadership and development center.
April 12, 2022 – Members of Moun Studio fly from mainland Haiti to La Gonave to spend two days with the team and visit the site of the future leadership center for the first time. While on the island, they take measurements, assess the quality of the soil and surrounding environment, and register construction materials available on the island.
May 8, 2022 – A survey team, accompanied by Rasin staff, travels to the site to formally survey the land.
The Next Phase
Now that the architect and land are secured, we will soon have a design and budget so that we can begin construction on the leadership center!
The leadership & community development center and the .3 acre of land it sits on will be a permanent resource for La Gonave. It will be owned by our local partner and used by communities and their leaders for years to come as a teaching, meeting, and project implementation space. The project is a key step in achieving our goal of making La Gonave a hub of successful, community-led development and an example for the world.
We are so excited about what this project means to Roots, Rasin, and all the residents of La Gonave, and we hope you are too.
Sincerely,
Chad W. Bissonnette
Executive Director