About

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Domes for Haiti is a grassroots project based out of Brooklyn, NYC, currently on the ground in Port Au Prince, Haiti building ten geodesic domes for orphanages in the surrounding areas of PaP. We have been based out of Port Au Prince since July 17th. During the first month, we visited many orphanages interviewed them to asses their needs. We have found a huge deficit of support in terms of food, water, sanitation, shelter and medicine. Many of the orphanages need food. Some need shelter, most need beds.

We have so far built 5 domes. We have 5 more to go. The build crew consists of 5 Haitian Teenagers, two capable girls and 3 guys. They are being paid at the local rate for their labor, plus being fed lunch every day. This is a valuable learning experience for these kids and they are having a great time building. They are, at this point, almost entirely in charge of the build site, with some guidance from me. We are putting the tools in the hands of the youth, teaching them how to build geodesic domes.

this girl lives at one of the orphanages which is run by a woman named Desamour who used to be a lawyer before the quake. She has 30 kids. We are building at her site first and giving her two domes. One for the boys and one for the girls.

They have very little to eat and need beds and clothes as well. Desamour would like to start a school this fall. They need books~

The second build will take place at Judy’s place. She worked for Aristede until 1994 when he was forced into exile. She started an orphanage shortly after. She is an advocate for the rights of children in Haiti. She rescued a young restavec girl from the hospital after the earthquake. Her “family” had abandoned her there.

She is the oldest kid at Judy’s orphanage, which is on her own property since the quake destroyed their former building in Port Au Prince. Many of these children watched their parents and siblings die in the earthquake. Most are suffering from PTSD. Judy has arranged for a counselor to visit once a week to help the children cope emotionally. She holds a food for school program at her place for the local kids in the neighborhood and feeds a group of elderly women as well. She believes in her kids, and tells them that they can achieve anything they put their mind too.

This is where they currently sleep. There have been daily heavy rains in the last month. The kids are ingenious. They made a little toy car out of a plastic bottle:

Judy is a real powerhouse of a woman! She refused to have her photo taken, though. Domes for Haiti is building two domes on her property. We are excited to support such an amazing group of kids!

We will be updating our blog daily, so check up on our progress…..

READ THE BLOG!!!

http://domesforhaiti.blogspot.com/

ABOUT THE DOMES:

The geodesic dome has many advantages to conventional structures which make it ideal for disaster relief. Namely strength, speed of assembly, energy efficiency and an aerodynamically sound shape.

The frames are made out of 1″ steel conduit pipe machined into two strut lengths and bolted together at 26 junctions. Total assembly time for 3 people is approximately 1.5 hrs. They are 17′ in diameter and 8.5′ high in the center. The struts are color coded to ensure ease of assembly.

The domes are quite portable and easily shipped on palettes. The tools required for assembly are nothing more than two adjustable wrenches. Three people can assemble a dome in under 2 hours. The domes are anchored to the ground using 2 foot sticks of rebar sunk into cement feet, ten per dome. These frames can withstand up to 150 mph winds with the anchors. The covers are made out of Dacron which is commonly used as sailcloth. They are attached to the frame using a series of grommets attached with extra strength zip ties. The edges of the dome covers are sealed to the ground with a mud flap and mildew resistant sand bags. We are digging a french drainage system around the circumference of each dome for water run off. It is a 3 foot ditch filled in with crushed rubble.

This project is in its 7th month now. We’ve gained a huge amount of momentum in this period of time. We have received over $27,000 worth of in kind donations of materials, manufacturing and workspace. This has been brought about by offering people in the business community an opportunity to give. This project is about people helping people, It is based on another kind of currency.

Our focus in the first phase of this project was to inspire likeminded business owners to collaborate with us on this project by donating their labor or materials. This method has worked well for us. We’ve found many generous and willing partners.

Through the generosity of our community of artists, builders and movers, we successfully raised enough money to pay the manufacturer to fabricate the covers for the domes! Thank You, Brooklyn. Brooklyn, we love you.

Lack of substantial and life sustaining shelter in Haiti has reached epic proportions since the earthquake. Approximately 1.3 million people are living in temporary shelters in and around Port-au-Prince while another 500,000 have migrated to other parts of the country in search of shelter, food, and work. Haiti’s orphan population was already huge at 380,000 before the earthquake, but current estimates put the total exceeding one million children. We have a modest goal to house 100 kids this year.

In Kreyol, there is a word; “Kombit”. It represents a traditional form of cooperative communal labor similar to a barn raising where many people gather together to help one person or one family with a task that would be too great for themselves to handle alone. That is the spirit with which we began this project. It’s our hope that the spirit of Kombit will inspire other people to join this global effort to lend a hand to the people of Haiti so they can build a stronger more sustainable future for their country.

info@domesforhaiti.org

Wish List: Beds, Hammocks, Shoes, Clothing, Sewing Machines, Water Filters, Buckets, Solar Panels, Art Supplies, Sneakers, Notebooks, Pens, Crayons, Paint, Pillows, Bedding, Towels, Soap, Medical Supplies, First Aid Kits, LCD Projector, Laptops, Non GMO Seeds, Comic Books in French or English, Solar Powered Flashlights, Candles, Solar Showers, Camping Cook Gear and Camping Cook Stoves

info@domesforhaiti.org

We are sponsored under the umbrella of a 501c3 nonprofit organization called Not An Alternative. Your donations are tax-deductable.