Reflecting on 20 Years: SOIL Journey Through Haiti's Resilience and Renewal
The SOIL Haiti team together in Tilari ~ for 20 years SOIL has provided safe sanitation access in Northern Haiti.
The 20th anniversary of Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) is a time for celebration and, also, a time to pause, look back, and honor the dedication and sacrifice of the many, many individuals who have worked over the past two decades to build SOIL into what it is today: a locally-run, highly valued service that provides more than 4,100 households with a safe, effective and climate-positive sanitation option, collecting and transforming waste into rich, organic compost, while providing dignified livelihood opportunities for Haitians.
What started as a small initiative in the Shada neighborhood of Cap-Haitien has grown into a global model for regenerative sanitation, proving that sustainable solutions can thrive even in the face of immense challenges.
Co-founded in 2006 by ecologist and human rights advocate Sasha Kramer (who has been working in Haiti since 2004), along with Sarah Brownell, Baudeler Magloire, Johnny Estimable and Josaphat Augustin, and inspired by Haiti's grassroots movements, SOIL set out to address the interconnected crises of poor sanitation, public health risks, soil depletion, and economic opportunity. The vision was simultaneously simple and innovative: transforming human waste into a resource for rebuilding Haiti's soils, while providing dignified sanitation to families and livelihood opportunities for those living in underserved urban communities.
Since its inception, SOIL's work has been deeply tied to the broader narrative of Haiti’s past and present story. We understand Haiti’s resilience to be a profound and enduring force, etched into the very soul of its people and woven through more than two centuries of its unique and fraught history. Haiti is a nation born from the world's only successful slave-led revolution when, in 1804, the founders crushed the chains of colonial oppression and declared their freedom against impossible odds. This revolutionary spirit has carried forward through years of relentless trials: foreign occupations, brutal dictatorships, repeated coups, crippling economic debts, and devastating natural disasters like the 2010 earthquake that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and left communities in ruins. Yet time and again, Haitians have risen: rebuilding homes, schools, and lives with unbreakable determination, coming together in the aftermath of chaos: working without pause, sharing resources, and refusing to surrender hope.
Even amid the current challenges—gang violence, displacement, and political turmoil—the strength, cultural pride, vibrant art, and daily acts of solidarity can be witnessed still, including in the persistence and dedication of SOIL’s team members, illustrating that Haiti's true power lies not in avoiding hardship, but in transforming it into renewed purpose and collective endurance.
SOIL embodies a similar spirit: our work is turning waste into a valuable resource and, ultimately, into a source of renewal, health, and hope for the Caribbean island. For two decades, amid innumerable challenges and natural disasters, the SOIL team has continued to expand our provision of private and public toilets, championed for safe sanitation as a basic human right, and partnered with Haitian government ministries and international allies to build, maintain and improve a resilient, equitable solution to the global sanitation crisis.
SOIL and the beloved nation it operates in have faced immense trials, yet continue to demonstrate extraordinary strength and innovation. Here are some key milestones that tell the story of SOIL’s steady, determined progress:
20 Years of SOIL
- 2006 Operations begin: SOIL begins operations in northern Haiti, driven by a philosophy of ecological sanitation and community empowerment, with the introduction of early composting toilet designs for public toilets blocks.
- 2009 First container-based toilet: SOIL constructs the first household container-based toilet, the beginning of a formalized sanitation service and recognized sector. Today, similar container-based operations serve 400,000+ individuals across 18 countries globally.
- 2010: Construction of Haiti's first functioning waste treatment facility, a landmark achievement in a country with almost no managed sanitation infrastructure; it was a pivotal step in scaling up composting operations and ensuring safe, pathogen-free transformation of waste into nutrient-rich compost.
- 2010 earthquake relief work: In the aftermath of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake, SOIL stepped up to provide emergency ecological sanitation to over 20,000 people in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. These toilets represented the first deployment of container-based sanitation in an emergency setting. This rapid response not only met immediate humanitarian needs but also highlighted SOIL's role at the intersection of emergency aid and long-term development.
- Cholera response: In the aftermath of the earthquake, cholera was introduced to Haiti by UN peacekeepers, resulting in the most virulent cholera epidemic in modern history. SOIL staff members visited individual displacement camps, sharing information on the prevention and treatment of cholera.
- 2013: SOIL launched a formal pilot of the paid EkoLakay service in Cap-Haitien, working to bridge the gap between emergency assistance and the creation of sustainable services.
- Hurricane Matthew (2016): SOIL raised funds to support affected communities by working with local partners to purchase and distribute relief supplies; while these storms did not directly strike northern Haiti, SOIL was able to leverage our relationships with community leaders from the South of Haiti to support their relief efforts.
- 2023: SOIL announces its partnership with IDB Lab’s Outcomes for Change Fund (OCF) – the first large-scale Outcomes Fund to be implemented in a fragile country context and small island developing state.
- 2026: SOIL signs the first public sector contract for container-based sanitation service provision globally.
Today, after two decades, the impact that SOIL’s work has had in Haiti is tangible and life-changing:
- More than 20,000 people in northern Haiti now have access to safe, dignified toilets in their homes.
- Over 1,400 metric tons of waste is removed from communities each year and safely treated and transformed in a way that reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
- Hundreds of tons of high-quality organic compost is produced each year, supporting agriculture, reforestation, and soil regeneration in a nation where fertile land is a precious, dwindling resource.
- Jobs and economic opportunities have been created in some of Haiti's most under-resourced communities, proving that sustainable sanitation can also build livelihoods.
To our Haitian team, partners, customers, and the families who have trusted us for 20 years: Mèsi anpil—thank you profoundly. Your courage inspires us daily.
And to everyone who has supported SOIL over these two decades: together, we are proving that even in the face of history's heaviest burdens, transformation is possible—one container, one toilet, one compost pile at a time.
As we look to the next 20 years, SOIL remains committed to scaling our circular economy model to reach even more vulnerable urban areas in Cap-Haitien and beyond. Together, we’re demonstrating that transforming waste into resources isn’t just possible—it’s the solution to building a healthier, more dignified future where we all thrive.
Here's to building a healthier, greener future together!
