SOIL’s Regional Director Moves Into a Compost Bin!
That’s right, our beloved Regional Director, Theo Huitema, has now officially become a shining example of our organizational mission to transform wastes into resources by building his home inside our old compost bins in Limonade, northern Haiti.
In January 2012, the mayor of Limonade asked SOIL to relocate our northern Haiti compost site in accordance with a new plan for the development of the region. Although it was sad to leave behind our beautiful new compost bins, which had only been used for 4 months, we gladly obliged and have since established a new compost site on government land in the officially sanctioned waste treatment area.
New compost site in Mouchinette. The new site was opened in early June 2012
Not wanting to waste all of the work that went into our old compost bins, Theo decided to transform them into a home/office. Last weekend he officially moved into bins 1-3, with his bedroom butting up against the nearly decomposed compost in bins 4-6. Our oldest cement compost bins, constructed in 2009, have now been converted to fish ponds where the fish feast on algae grown with SOIL compost.
Now Theo is enjoying his new home in the center of our agricultural research station, where he can feast on delicious tilapia, spend his afternoons roaming the nurseries and experimental gardens and share a quiet moment with Huit the cow, Ti Konpos the guard god and Mr. Chankowsky the rabbit.
To see more photos of the amazing work in northern Haiti click here.
The nursery with the new house just behind it.
Mr. Chankowsky's rabbit hut!
Theo and Agronom Romel show off the fish ponds
Sharon Barefoot, RN, BSN
July 30, 2012 (7:06 pm)
I would love to learn more about the officially sanctioned waste treatment area and plans.
Leah Page
July 31, 2012 (3:22 pm)
Dear Sharon,
SOIL built the first waste treatment site in the entire country in 2009 and has gone on to have the largest EcoSan composting waste treatment operation in the country with sites in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien. The large scale that SOIL has achieved, on a limited budget, speaks both to the lack of funds designated for sanitation and waste treatment and to the unique suitability of ecological sanitation technology in solving waste treatment problems in a country with little sanitation infrastructure and limited funding.
In Cap-Haitien there is no government waste treatment site and none are planned. Therefore SOIL’s new composting waste treatment facility, sanctioned by the local government in the region, plays an extremely critical role in providing waste treatment services to the greater Cap-Haitien metropolitan area. We are currently seeking funding to increase the size and capacity of the Cap-Haitien site. For every $1,300 raised, SOIL will build a compost bin that provides waste treatment for 10,000 people for two weeks. The bin will be used over and over again, helping to ensure safe, dignified sanitation for tens of thousands of people annually. Every batch of compost produced will be sold to organizations working on agriculture and reforestation projects in order to support the ongoing costs of providing sanitation to those 10,000 people and to get the rich, organic compost out into high impact projects designed to increase local food production and soil conservation. Thank you for helping us spread the word out about this incredible need AND this incredible opportunity to have a huge impact.
Best wishes,
Leah
Joline van Lier
October 28, 2012 (11:27 am)
Great work that you deliver:-) and for Theo; “A little smaller than Nigeria but a nice house!!”
Try to get in touch with us again!! You can also reach me at Facebook
and Linked Inn. I wander if you feed a whole community or even region with the
farmed fish and vedgetables!?
Blessings for all, goodluck with the work and communicate please!
Joline, Peter, Zsazsa, Jules