July 2012 Newsletter: Compost and Cabbages

Dear friends,

We are trying to be vigilant in sending a note each month on the 12th as our commemoration to the earthquake victims in Haiti, those who are still struggling to recover and those that were lost. The months fly by so quickly and sometimes it feels like so little has changed, and then I think back over the month that has seemed to disappear in a flash and I am amazed at all of the hurdles that have been overcome, small victories in a sea of ongoing suffering. Just as you have always been with us in times of need, you have also always supported is in our effort to create change where we are able, and we are so grateful. It is our hope that these monthly newsletters will remind you that you can make a difference.

Last month we had some amazing successes: from cooking up our first delicious cabbages from the experimental garden, to hosting Haiti’s first Sustainable Sanitation Conference, attended by over 50 organizations. We continued to provide sanitation services to earthquake victims still living in camps two and half years after the earthquake, using the compost generated from these toilets to begin to restore the land at our composting site in the middle of the Port-au-Prince dump and in gardens and farms around the country. Our nursery and fish ponds in Cap-Haitien are flourishing and new household toilet models are being tested in the community of Shada. We were honored to receive the first Land for Life award from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and look forward to using the funds to expand our land rehabilitation efforts. Bobo and I are home safe from Africa and we are enjoying having the whole team reunited. We can’t thank everyone enough for your love and prayers during that difficult time.

So today, as each month on the 12th, we ask that you take a moment to remember Haiti, both the ongoing suffering and the impressive victories in the face of struggle. Thank you for all you have done to support positive change in Haiti. We will continue to work to ensure that your efforts and sacrifices are used to assist and empower those who need it the most.

With love from Port-au-Prince,

Sasha

We ask you to please consider sharing in our commemoration of the earthquake in Haiti by signing up for a monthly donation, even a small contribution can go a long way. If you cannot donate at this time, you can show your support by joining us on Facebook, we love knowing that you are with us in spirit.

Read more:

Haiti Sustainable Sanitation Conference 2012 – An Overview of Presentations and Findings

National Geographic reports on SOIL’s Land for Life Award

Experimental Garden Success – Cabbages thrive in SOIL compost.

Want to know how to use a SOIL EcoSan toilet? Learn the 11 Steps!