December 2007 Return Trip

Haiti is fantastic; turbulent, inspiring, beautiful, dirty, and cruel. It is a daily struggle for the nearly eight million people who call it home. Haiti’s population must accept unreliable or non-existent electricity, nearly impassable roads, and dirty water often far from points of use. The soil is exhausted, making food production and agriculture a challenge. Common sources of income include salt cultivated from the ocean, charcoal production for cooking fires, and the sale of peanuts grown on the small plots of privately owned land. Despite these overwhelming odds, Haiti is a land of opportunity.

The Pedal Power Project is a pilot to bring electricity and lighting to 65 families in Bayonnais, Haiti. The project was started in September 2007. It was supported by a partnership between SEP, Eco Systems, private investment, and OFCB the in country Haitian partner located in Bayonnais. John Dickey and Gary Zieff traveled to Bayonnais in December 2007 to re-visit operations, provide more lights, and explore other communities that could benefit from the project. John Dickey is there to take photographs and video. Of the 50 original home units, fours batteries failed and three went “missing”. All LED lights are still operating per spec and the generators are fully functional. The original price point, based on the average cost for kerosene fuel was lowered. This was decided at a community meeting between the 50 users and Actionnel Fleurisma the Pastor for OFCB and dissigno’s Haitian partner. At the meeting it was concluded that the original price of $0.11/day was too expensive. The cost was lowered to $0.06/day for the lights. Lights averaged about 30 day before needing a re-charge. In addition Bayonnais operations charged cell phones for about $.40 each. So far 88%of users pay regularly and in full. Payments are made to either Charles Gasmy the operator or direct to the community bank. The income pays Charles’ salary, which is commensurate with a teacher. The remaining cash is left in reserve in operations bank account in the community bank. Normally this revenue stream would be used to service the debit for the cost of the equipment. However, for now this cash is left in the bank. It provides loans to community members for other enterprise investment, and allows future investment by the enterprise to purchase additional lights for new users.

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