Kickstarter

A house made of styrofoam. Solar-powered ovens. An aquaponics system. These are just a few of the things you can find on base at Haiti Communitere, a partnership between local Haitian makers and foreign innovators based in Port-au-Prince. Haiti Communitere seeks to be a model of sustainable human development, developing alternative building techniques such as Ubuntu Blox – recycled plastic and styrofoam blocks which withstood the test of a simulated 8.0 earthquake – and exploring ways to bolster Haiti's food security with our aquaponics system. 

We are trying to kindle something in Haiti: a spirit of fun, of innovation, and of experimentation with machinery, electronics and technology. Every community has dormant creativity, curiosity and ingenuity. We want to provide the tools and the training to allow it to flourish in Port-au-Prince. The spirit of innovation takes different forms depending on the environment in which it is fostered. Haiti presents unique challenges and we can't wait to see what else the Haitian maker-space will produce to meet them.

Our workshop burned down in May. It served as a space where local community members could tinker with and build sustainable technologies, and where Haiti Communitere ran trainings so that our innovations, all open-source, could be extended and scaled up. We are building a new maker-space bigger and better than before. It will include three times as much floor space, full metalworking and woodworking facilities, an art studio, changing rooms and a dedicated training and conference center. We have already built the frame and roof, and need your help to complete it.

With the new workshop and with your help, the community will be able to build projects that improve their lives. Once the workshop is built, innovators from Haiti and around the world will be able to turn their ideas into reality. If you like this project, if you think everyone should be have the opportunity to build things, and if you want to help us unleash the inventiveness, creativity and resourcefulness of the Haitian people, you know what to do.

------

ABOUT US:

Haiti Communitere is currently headed by Sam Bloch and Jimmy Levi. Our base in Port-au-Prince - run by base manager Samuel Alcide, operations director Steven Renner and associate director Nathan Heath - breeds innovative ideas, our communications team of Amanda Keating, Conor O'Higgins and Matthew Reitman tells the world about them, and our community outreach team led by Delphine Bedu ensures they are employed on the ground in Haitian communities.