Project Report
| Oct 2, 2012
Cal-Earth in Haiti!
By Cassandra Elwell | Program Director, The Love & Haiti Project
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Land Prep
Greetings from The Love & Haiti Project!
Our deepest, most heart-felt thanks for all your support and keeping track of our progress. This journey has been absolutely remarkable and we hope you have been able to easily follow all the excitement through our reports and website.
Here's what is currently evolving for The Love & Haiti Project: Cal-Earth in Haiti! Over the years, we've had the privilege to formulate a partnership with the amazing Cal-Earth Institute, the very place where SuperAdobe Earthbag Building was developed. We are currently raising $8,000 to hold the first ever, Cal-Earth Superadobe Earthbuilding Workshop in Haiti this winter and we need your help. The money is to cover 2 Cal-Earth teachers to fly to Haiti, have a place to stay with food and the bare essentials, and to cover the materials required for instructing 2 different SuperAdobe workshops. Each workshop will build an entire structure from start to finish and each student will receive the tools and certifications to continue using this method in their community.
With your help, we can continue our mission of “teaching the teachers” and build strong leaders that make a real difference in their communities.
Thank you again for your support. We couldn’t do the work without you.
Looking forward,
Benar & Cassandra
Program Directors
The Love & Haiti Project
(818) 306-LOVE
![Earthbad Building]()
Earthbad Building
![Brochure Outside]()
Brochure Outside
![Brochure Inside]()
Brochure Inside
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Apr 2, 2012
Quick Update from Project Leaders: Benar & Cassandra
By Benar Geer | Founder, The Love & Haiti Project
Well, we did it. We brought the first ever Permaculture Design Certification course to Haitians in Haiti. Over 30 students gathered at Haiti Communitere in Port-au-Prince for a certification program that was translated into Creole for the local students from all over the country. With the tools learned, our Haitian students have already become a value to their communities with new water catchment installations and effective food production implementations we are already hearing about. Thank you Haiti Communitere for hosting us. Thank you to all the international students who helped sponsor the local students. And, most of all, thank you to all who donated. It wouldn’t have been possible without you.
So what’s next you ask?
We sure did learn a lot out there- especially what to do to be even more effective. On our last trip we were able to build two Superadobe structures and train 25 Haitians as Earthbag builders. The one built on the Island of La Gonave brought so much enthusiasm for the technology, that we are planning another even bigger build out there this year. The one at Haiti Communitere is being showcased alongside various alternative building technologies such as Strawbale, Geodesic, Earthship and Container homes. Leaders from top NGO's and Government Agencies are visiting this site and are excited to learn more about it. Superadobe is truly on the map in Haiti!
But this is not enough. In order to really have an impact on the housing crisis in Haiti, it is essential that the people are empowered with the knowledge of this technology yesterday, and as a small non-profit, we are limited by resources.
So what are we going to do?
With your help, The Love & Haiti Project is going back in a few months to offer the Cal-earth Superadobe Training workshop for FREE to local students. We plan to bring the best-of-the-best instructors from http://www.calearth.org to train and certify 50 or more students from all over Haiti as Superadobe Earthbag builders to really make the impact Haiti needs.
Thank you for being involved- we are all in this together!
Benar & Cassandra
PS. We almost forgot to mention the biggest news of all: our little miracle was born last month! Her name is Cyra Marie Geer, born February 7th, 2012 at our home in Topanga, California.
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