Public-Private Partnerships for Sustainable Development

We are happy to announce that over 3,200 hearing aids have been distributed without cost to needy persons in Madagascar.  It is touching to see the faces of children who can suddenly hear!   The Starkey Hearing Aid Foundation, the Madagascar Ministry of Public Health, three Madagascar Rotary Clubs (Doyen, Mahamasina and Ainga) and their associates, and several corporate sponsors combined efforts on the ground.  The Ministry of Budget and Finance and the city governments of Antananarivo and Tamave facilitated the work.

Speaking into the mike is Bill Austin, CEO of Starkey Laboratories and Founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation

The Public-Private Alliance Foundation, along with the Rotary Club of New York and the Madagascar Mission to the United Nations, got the ball rolling with the Starkey Foundation in 2010.  The Madagascar Mission to the UN continued to stimulate and encourage the project and its achievement.  Foundation board members Ambassador Zina Andrianarivelo and Scott Wright, along with Senior Fellow John German, and staff of the Madagascar Mission worked hard to make this come about.

Kids with Hearing Aids with Rotary and Starkey Volunteers

The project started in Madagascar in November 2010 with a visit by Starkey Foundation staff and organizational work by the Rotary Clubs to screen potential recipients.  The Rotary Clubs continued screening in spring 2011 in advance of a ten-day visit by the Starkey team in October.

We at the Public Private Alliance Foundation are happy to announce that we have partnered with a very forward-thinking company, Viridian Energy.  This is a third-party electricity supply company (ESCO) currently operating in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Illinois.  It provides greener electricity at a more affordable price. If you live in one of these states, or know someone who does, click on the Viridian  link to help in our work. Read more…

The Public-Private Alliance Foundation, working with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, held its Fifth Annual Partners Against Poverty Event at the UN on June 3, 2011.   This followed the Global Summit on electricity on June 2, organized by the Global Sustainable Energy Partnership (formerly e8) and UN-Energy (see article below).    Over 30 people from business, investment, diplomatic missions to the UN, non-governmental organizations and international organizations participated in the June 3 discussions.  Participants and their organizations are listed either within presention sections or at the bottom of this article.

 We asked these experts to come because whether we are working in Haiti, the Dominican Republic or Madagascar, people want and need clean energy and local electrification, simple, affordable housing, and better cookstoves. 

PPAF Executive Director Dr. David Stillman opened and moderated the session.  Presenters included BioGen (Dominican Republic and U.S.), Medesco (U.S.), Habitech International (U.S. and Dominican Republic), WECAN, Inc., and Project Gaia (U.S., Ethiopia and Brazil).  A presentation was also made on Viridian Energy, whose program for non-profits will benefit the Foundation. (See article.) Read more…

The Public-Private Alliance Foundation encouraged over 30 colleagues from the U.S., the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Madagascar to attend the Global Summit to Strengthen Public-Private Partnerships to Accelerate Global Electricity Technology Deployment  on June 2 at the United Nations.   The Summit focused on discussing learning new actions in the field of electricity.  It also served as background for the Foundation’s Fifth Annual Partners Against Poverty Meeting, held at the UN on June 3 (described elsewhere).

Organizers of the event were a group of major electric companies known as the e8, now the Global Sustainable Energy Partnership (GSEP), and UN-Energy, which brings together more than 20 UN system agencies working on various aspects of energy.   Several hundred attended the day-long summit.  The organizers distributed results of a survey,  published as  Recommendations from the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership Survey  Read more…

Building on interest expressed in Orlando,  David Stillman and Daniel Faustin of SImACT met in Washington on March 14-15 with Lord Kevin Lumb, President of Global Investment Summits, for a series of meetings to plan the Haiti Reconstruction and Sustainability Summit, scheduled for mid-September.  This included meetings with prominent Haitian-Americans and at the Inter-American Development Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and UN Foundation (Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves).  Foundation board member Carol Dabbs joined a lunch meeting with the president of the Haiti Renewal Alliance and another Haitian-American who owns land in Haiti.

A next step will be meetings in Haiti, planned for mid-April.   

Over a hundred members of the international aid and development community gathered in Orlando, Florida for the inaugural Disaster Response & Recovery Summit, which took place at the Caribe Royale Hotel & Convention Center on 1-2 March 2011.   The summit was organized to bring key decision makers in the aid & development community together with government policy-makers and partnering contractors looking to assist in the aftermath of disasters around the globe.

About one-third of the speakers dealt with Haiti.  David Stillman’s presentation consisted of a photo essay as well as a speech on “Lives, Livelihoods and Environment in Haiti.”  To request a  copy of the speech, email: ppafoundation@gmail.com

Dr. David Stillman, Lord Kevin Lumb

The summit covered key issues during the morning presentations and enabled delegates to meet with UN, business and NGO officials in the afternoons.   Twenty roundtables were set up for this purpose, with over 300 meetings taking place over the two days.

Proceedings were opened by Lord Kevin Lumb, Chairman of Global Development Summits. 

From November 29 to December 1 David Stillman and Fritz Clairvil of SImACT, Inc. attended the “Clean Indoor Air Cookstove and Alcohol Fuel Production International Forum” organized by the International Institute for Ecological Agriculture (IIEA) and Project Gaia, and held in Atlanta, Georgia.  (The terms alcohol and ethanol are interchangeable.)

In Haiti, PPAF, SImACT, Project Gaia and their partners continue to develop the clean cookstoves project.  The meetings with IIEA and the Alcohol Fuel Production International Forum helped move this forward..

David Blume, founder of IIEA (www.permaculture.com) and Blume Distillation, LLC (www.blumedistillation.com), ran the seminar in two days of lectures plus Q&A. Harry Stokes of Project Gaia made a presentation and stove demonstration of the Dometic CleanCook stove.

David Blume’s career spans over 30 years as an advocate, writer and public speaker on ecology, especially the subjects of alcohol fuel and related integrated farming.  Based in California, he has devoted much attention to actions for substitution of gasoline and other petroleum products in the USA, has served as a consultant in several other countries, and is familiar with development issues generally.  

The sessions focused on the benefits of localized production and use of appropriate-scale alcohol fuel combined with “clean fuel” stoves and appliances.  Alcohol fuels offer an abundant supply of energy for cooking, heating, refrigeration; electricity and transportation needs and can be produced from a wide variety of native plants, waste products and cultivated fuel crops ensuring inexpensive and sustainable production. 

A presentation on Blume Distillation, LLC was a key element of the seminar.  This new company will specialize in micro-distilleries from sugar and other feedstocks to produce ethyl alcohol in the USA and abroad.  Blume and his company are now seeking investors to cover an estimated $3.2 million, and purchasers.  Company representatives will visit New York in January to this end.

She wrote, “The Martha Stewart Show is a daily series that informs and inspires viewers on subjects from cooking and entertaining to crafting and gardening, hosted by Martha Stewart. This episode — dubbed “The Giving Show” — will ‘embrace the spirit of the holiday season with creative ideas for giving back.’

 Martha Stewart has a large and loyal following, both of her show and on social media channels.   We anticipate increased web traffic to the Alliance website, www.cleancookstoves.org, which should translate into increased traffic to your own sites or phone calls to your offices….” 

The UN Foundation appeared on an 8-minute segment alongside EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to discuss the challenges posed to nearly half the world’s population by cooking on traditional stoves or open fires. The goal with this appearance was to begin engaging a broader segment of the general population in the Alliance’s mission to drive solutions to this important issue.

Leslie Cordes (center, with scarf), explains Dometic/Project Gaia stove (at left) and others to Martha Stewart Show producers.

 The ethanol-based Clean Cookstove that the Public-Private Alliance Foundation, Dometic, Project Gaia, SImACT and other partners promote was one of four brought to the show.   Leslie Cordes writes that she described the stove’s qualities and unique attributes to Lisa Jackson and Martha Stewart.

Participants at Haiti benefit event

A celebration of Haitian paintings, culture and rum set the tone for the “Partners Against Poverty” benefit organized by the Public-Private Alliance Foundation on Thursday evening November 4 at Affirmation Arts in mid-town Manhattan.  The Foundation promotes collaboration by a mix of partners in a business approach to improving lives and livelihoods, with a focus on rebuilding in Haiti since the January 2010 earthquake. 

Affirmation Arts currently has on exhibit until November 24 an extraordinary collection curated by Gérald Alexis, an historian of Haitian art, which includes some pieces rescued from the rubble.  The Foundation thanks everyone who came to the benefit, and all who were unable to attend but donated.

Executive Director Dr. David Stillman welcomed the guests and focused attention on the Foundation’s work, especially in Haiti.  Tony Plana, the actor/director, hosted the event, urging guests to become involved in supporting the foundation.  Jocelyn McCalla, senior advisor to the Special Envoy of Haiti to the United Nations, described the status of Haiti reconstruction and the various players in this lengthy, difficult process.  Ian Williams, noted pundit and rum historian, spoke of the role of rum in Haiti’s history and economy and also led a tasting of Haiti’s famous Barbancourt rum.  Dr. Lesly Kernisant, president of SImACT, Inc., a Haitian diaspora investment group, talked about the partnership of SImACT with the Public-Private Alliance Foundation for several projects in Haiti.    

The event highlighted the Foundation’s recent focus on promoting improved cookstoves and fuel in Haiti. With several partners, the Foundation is working to create a sustainable industry of locally-grown and distilled sugar ethanol to fuel cookstoves manufactured, marketed and distributed in the country. The project aims to improve lives and health, especially for women and children, reduce the heavy reliance on wood and charcoal that has stripped the country of forest and topsoil, and improve the livelihoods of farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs.

Affirmation Arts, Crillon Importers and Eben Bronfman of Jared Samos Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Private Wealth Management were supporters of the event.  For photos go to:  www.flickr.com/ppaf/show

Malagasy children - All deserve to hear

The Public-Private Alliance Foundation is pleased to announce the first steps for a project to provide long-term hearing aid support to Madagascar.  It will involve government, business, non-profits and the community. To facilitate this, PPAF board members and a senior fellow have met with Starkey Hearing Foundation President and CEO, Bill Austin and its Executive Director Brady Forseth.  Discussions with Ambassador Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy of the Madagascar Mission to the United Nations have led to follow-up by Rotary Clubs and the Government in Madagascar.  Information on Starkey, a well-known American NGO, can be found at:  www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org   It began in 1984 and works in countries around the world.   

Mr. Austin has recently sent a letter to the President of the Transitional Authority of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina and Mme. Rajoelina, offering assistance and outlining how the foundation would work.  The letter notes that Starkey is already working in the region, in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana and Mozambique. 

Mr. Frederic Rondeau, International Director of Starkey, will visit Madagascar from November 25-30, for high-level meetings with the Government and Rotary, initial training of volunteers and identification of patients and other preparations toward implementation early next year.

In a meeting held in Antananarivo on November 10, representatives of Rotary Clubs, the Ministry of Health and other participants agreed to make “Aid for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing” as a Rotary program with Starkey Foundation.  Three Rotary Clubs in Antananarivo:  Ainga, Dean and Mahamasina, will take the lead.   A Memorandum of Understanding will be established between the Ministry of Health and Rotary.

The World Health Organization has estimated the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing in Madagascar to be approximately 1.8 million people.  Background information can be found in a very informative article and accompanying video from French TV:  Deafness in Madagascar    The video asserts that while about half of all Malagasy school-age children attend school, only about 1% of deaf children are in school.   Gallaudet University, the premier American university for the deaf, maintains a list of deaf organizations and schools by country, including in Madagascar.  The Public-Private Alliance Foundation previously facilitated donations of medical supplies and equipment to Madagascar through Project C.U.R.E., and corporate funders, which resulted in delivery of nine 40-foot shipping containers to several hospitals and clinics.