Map of Haiti

Our focus would be on Jacmel, on the southern coast, in collaboration with the Haitian-American investment group Société Immobilière de Agriculture, Commerce et Tourisme, Inc., (SImACT) .  Our team identified priorities and made initial preparations for a workshop on investment and commerce to revive Southern Haiti.  This is scheduled to take place in Jacmel in late June.      

En route we visited tent camps near the border and encountered the diversity of conditions we would see throughout the trip.   One camp dealing with post-operative care was well-equipped by Harvard University and USAID.   Another, for displaced families, run by the American Refugee Committee and assisted by UNICEF, was more basic.   A third was “do-it-yourself.”  

I wanted to learn how people were faring.   I was interested in how people were cooking their meals, and confirmed charcoal and wood had become more scarce and more expensive since the earthquake. I explained that one of our concerns was to promote better, clean cookstoves and ethanol fuel.  The ARC camp supervisor was delighted and the woman below gave me permission to take this photo of her using a charcoal stove.

Woman cooking on a charcoal stove

We traveled to Port-au-Prince, Leogane and Jacmel.  Many people remained in great distress; others at first sight appeared to be going about their daily lives.   In some cases destroyed and intact buildings were side-by-side.  One could see tents in front of houses and encampments in schoolyards, churchyards and public sites.  There were still people with little shelter from sun and rain – sometimes a bedsheet attached to sticks.  

Parts of Port-au-Prince were untouched; other parts were devastated.  The image of the demolished Presidential palace has become known worldwide.  Leogâne, with a population of about 150,000, suffered heavily.  Much was destroyed. Jacmel had been cut off by mountain landslides.  The route was reopened but still vulnerable in the coming rainy season.

Maternity Ward at Jacmel Hospital reduced to rubble

The charming port town of Jacmel, with a population of about 50,000, had been damaged.  Its hospital had been destroyed.  Sections of town had been flattened.  But we could also see early possibilities for economic and social reconstruction.  With the national policy focus on decentralization and the international attention coming to Haiti for rebuilding, we felt that Jacmel could be a center for recovery and improvement.   Jacmel has been known as a site for Haitian tourism and the arts.  Its historic district, much of which was slated for demolition after the earthquake, has been spared, at least for now. 

There is great need to strengthen the infrastructure and services people need – from the hospital to the schools to the port.  Then there is room for imagination and creativity.  SImACT and PPAF confirmed their intent to organize the workshop on investment and commerce, with topics that could include infrastructure, renewable energy, ethanol cookstoves, housing, agriculture and agribusiness, social venture capital, health, historic district, tourism and arts and artisans.  The outcomes of this workshop can help Haiti Build Back Better.

Historic building near port of Jacmel

David Stillman, PhD

Executive Director

Public-Private Alliance Foundation

FUNGLODE, the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development of the Dominican Republic, featured PPAF’s work in Haiti, at the UN Department of Public Information / NGO Forum  “NGOs Responding to Crisis: Meeting New Challenges, the Case of Haiti” held on February 24, 2010.  Press release dated March 1, 2010.

The Dominican newspaper El Nuevo Diario  wrote in “Expertos nacionales e internacionales revisarán estrategia en acuicultura“ about the fish farming conference  held by the  Dominican Aquaculture Association ADOA on March 23-24, 2010.  Article dated February 23, 2010.

The April newsletter of the Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions of the University of South Florida included an article about David Stillman’s March 22 talk on Alternative Energy in Developing countries.  See page 4 of the newsletter:   http://patelcenter.rc.usf.edu/documents/newsletters/1004Apr.pdf

Members of the Advisory Group have a breadth of knowledge and experience, in government, business, academia, finance and non-profit management.  The broad work of PPAF aims toward achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, especially those aimed toward poverty reduction, environmental sustainability and building global partnerships.

Members of the Group may work together on areas of common interest, and also provide guidance individually. 

The first two topics the Group will address are:

(1)  Renewable Energy in the Dominican Response to the Haiti Earthquake Crisis;  

(2)  Renewable Energy in Haitian Post-Earthquake Reconstruction and Development

Members of the group are: 

Philippe Barjon, MS EE, Product Manager Energy Solutions at OpenLink Financial; Energy Director of BioTek Solutions, Inc.

Antonio Bento, PhD, Associate Professor, Applied Economics & Management, Cornell University

Marty Borruso, BS Forensic Chemistry; Chief Executive Officer, Fuel Bio Holdings, LLC

Gerónimo A. Chotin, BS Finance, Manager of Operations and Finance, Dominican Renewables, Inc.

Johanna Mendelson Forman, JD, PhD, Senior Associate, Center for Strategic & International Studies and Executive Director, Jatropha Foundation

Virgilio Malagon, PhD, Adviser to the President, National Energy Commission of the Dominican.Republic

Pablo Reyes, MA, International Policy; Director, Centro de Estudios Estratégicos Latinoamericanos

Robin van Puyenbroeck,  Master of Law/ Lic. Jur.; LLM International Law; Treasurer, UN Association of New York; Member, Carnegie New Leaders Program; international banker

Jean-Marie Wolff, MBA, MA Real Estate; President, SImACT Mining Holding, Inc.; CFO, SImACT, Inc. (Société Immobilière d’Agriculture, de Commerce, et de Tourisme)

Ex-Officio members of the Advisory Group are:

V. Judith Bowman, MBA, PPAF Senior Fellow.  Consultant in finance

Nazia Habib-Mintz, PPAF Fellow, Renewable Energy Program.  Doctoral candidate, Cambridge University. Consultant in renewable energy

Herb Oringel, MBA, PPAF Board Member.  Chair, Energy Advisory Panel, Town of Somers, NY

Amar Shibli, MBA (2011) - Dartmouth, PPAF Associate.

PPAF ha publicado material en su sitio web (Sección Eventos), relativa a las reuniones sectoriales de Bioenergía, celebrada en la Comisión Nacional de Energía de la República Dominicana 2 a 4 diciembre de 2009. Esto incluye el informe en español, aprobado por el CNE, así como enlaces a la invitación, fotos y vídeos.

The meetings brought out the views of representatives from the public sector, the financial community and companies with pilot field experience, and academics and the private sector — over 55 people in total.  

En las reuniones participaron los representantes del sector público, la comunidad financiera y las empresas con la experiencia sobre el terreno, y los académicos y el sector privado – más de 55 personas en total.

In addition to the National Energy Commission (CNE) as host and leader, the Public-Private Alliance Foundation and ResearchPAYS, Inc. benefited from collaboration and sponsorship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the RJS Group, S.A., and the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP).  The December discussions expanded upon the recommendations reached at the introductory session held in Santo Domingo in early October, where Grupo Vicini, the Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organization (IREO) and the Center for Export and Investment of the Dominican Republic (CEI-RD) were sponsors as well.

Además de la Comisión Nacional de Energía (CNE), como anfitrión y líder de la Public-Private Alliance Foundation y ResearchPAYS, Inc. beneficiado de la colaboración y el patrocinio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, el Grupo de RJS, SA, y la United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP). Los debates de diciembre ampliaron las recomendaciones formuladas en la sesión preliminar celebrada en Santo Domingo a principios de octubre, donde el Grupo Vicini, la Organización Intergubernamental de Energías Renovables (IREO) y el Centro de Exportación e Inversión de la República Dominicana (CEI-RD) fueron los patrocinadores también.

CNE President Enrique Ramirez Addresses Forum

Dr. David Stillman and Tom Kadala, MBA, leaders of this recently-formed public-private partnership, traveled to Santo Domingo to discuss the report and to work with the CNE and others to prepare for the upcoming Fourth Bioenergy International Debate, scheduled for December 3-4, 2009.    Along with Ambassador Federico Cuello and Rafael Fernandez, CEO of RJS Group, Stillman and Kadala took part in Sabado Agropecurio, a Dominican agricultural television journal, on November 21.  The interviewer was Manuel González Tejera.

L. to R: Seated: R. Fernandez, Amb. F. Cuello, M. Gonzalez Tejera; Standing, D. Stillman, T. Kadala

The partners also attended the 14th Regional Forum on Biofuels and Other Renewable Energies (XIV Foro Regional “Biocombustibles y Otras Energías Renovables), which took place from 18 – 20 November.  About 350 people from the region attended.  The forum featured national and technological updates on renewable energy in the region. It was organized by the Central American Integration System and its Alliance on Energy and the Environment in Central America.   The region includes Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama; the Dominican Republic is an associate member.  See:  http://www.sica.int/ .  The governments of Austria, Finland and the European Commission supported the forum.

Forum participants also toured Fluitecnik Solar Republica Dominicana, which produces solar panels that are part of the national grid, and LineaClave Internacional, S.A., which produces and develops a retail market for natural gas.

Ing. Carlos Lubrano, D. Stillman and T. Kadala at LineaClave

The group will review plans for the upcoming Fourth Bioenergy International Debate, scheduled for December 3-4 in Santo Domingo and the current work of RJS group in the Dominican Republic.  This December meetings will be hosted by the National Energy Commission, the Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources, and organized by PPAF and ResearchPAYS.   The report of the Third Bioenergy International Debate is available on the PPAF website at http://www.ppafoundation.org/events.html

They will also talk about the 14^th Regional Forum on Biofuels and Other Renewable Energies, which has taken place in Santo Domingo from 18 – 20 November.

RJS Group is a sponsor of the December event.  The Group is developing fuel ethanol for the local Dominican market and for export to the U.S. and the European Union through production of sweet sorghum.  Their new project will also produce bioelectricity for the local market using bagasse and straw yield of sorghum.  According to RJS Group, their project is designed to be strategically located in the Northwest Region of the Dominican Republic so as to exploit the comparative and competitive advantages of the area for agro-industrial activities and, with that, promote regional development with economic sustainability, environmental and social benefits.  For more information see: http://www.rjsgroupdr.com

Sabado Agropecuario is a program of Revista 101 and is broadcast on local television channels, a Dominican Channel in the Northwest Coast of the United States and Canada and through the airwaves of 107.7 FM.

While in Santo Domingo, Stillman and Kadala will also attend the XIV Regional Forum: Biofuels and Other Renewable Energies, from 18 – 20 November, hosted by the National Energy Commission, the Secretary of State for the Environment and Natural Resources, and the Energy and Environment Partnership with Central America (EEP), part of the Central American Integration System (SICA).  The meeting focuses on sustainable development in the region, and on various bioenergy case studies and technologies.  It is supported by the governments of Finland and Austria.  Member states include Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.  The Dominican Republic is an associate member.

 Lic. Enrique Ramirez, President of the National Energy Commission, and Ambassador Federico Cuello, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations spoke at the opening of the session. (These videos in Spanish) .   Other conference videos include David Stillman’s opening remarks (in English), an appearance by Ambassador Federico Cuello, Tom Kadala (President, ResearchPAYS, Inc.) and David Stillman on the Dominican TV program Sabado Agropecuario.   Also available is the excellent 9-minute video on the Bioenergy International Debate (English and Spanish) produced by Frank Minaya y Willmore and Dr. Dana F. Minaya of Samana College Research Center.

Mountains of garbage are a dirty reality for Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. But with assistance from the UN Development Program, a new waste management project hopes to turn trash into a cheap source of energy. The paper waste gets pounded, mashed up, mixed with sawdust, and then squeezed into cylinders to make a dry briquette of recycled paper charcoal. Without electricity, Haiti’s population of nearly nine million depends on wood-based charcoal for fuel. So it is no surprise that the country has lost 98% of its trees. Though a tropical island, parts of Haiti are fast becoming a desert, where bare mountainsides lead to erosion and severe flooding. The briquettes could help solve Haiti’s looming environmental crisis.