Creating sustainable jobs & clean burning biochar

It has been a very productive three months since our last update.

We have laid out a plan for the initial building on our newly acguired land in Benico and have been gathering bids for building an office/quest house, latrine, setpic, kiln platform, storage and a well.

The bids are higher then anticipated coming uin at $45,000 for building and $30,000 for a well. It will take an additional $30,000 for the well on the farm in Boucantis.

We also have planted some food crops with the locals on our land. Congo Beans, pistachios, cherries, peanuts, citrus and mangos. This is exciting for the locals and is a test of our plan for rejuvenation of soil in deforested areas of Haiti. 

We also completed conversations with Notre Dame Univeristies of Haiti, Concordis Universty of Portland and the University of Portland that has led to a memo of understanding to seek ways to collaborate on a variety of issues including student and faculty exchanges, joint research projects and more.

Natacha is wrapping up her MBA studies at Concordia U. and will be doing her internship a JSH Farms in Hermiston startin next week. She will graduate in December. We have two candidates right now for 2020 and hope have them in place by this time next year. This will take an additional $28,000 over the next two years to help them with transportation, books, room and board, clothing and medical insurance.

Your dollars assist us in not only keeping our expanding payroll 60,000-80,000 guordes every four weeks covered, but also the work of building, $105,000, and planting new fields, $520 per day during the rainy season.It take 200,000 starts to plant one acre of land and 104 workers to prepare, prep and plant a single acre a week and our students in school.

If you missed our Christmas in July drive you can still make your tax deductible donation in August. Help us raise the $15,000 needed each month so we can continue to serve the poorest families in Hait. Help us bring living wage jobs and clean water to the families in Benico and Boucantis.

Thank you.

We continue to move forward on our efforts in collaboration, cooperation and partnering.

During our April visit in Haiti we met with Daniel Tillias and Sakala, a Haitian non-profit working to create a safe place for children and teens in Cite Soliel. Daniel shared their vision and programs with us and his hope to move forward with a BonZeb farm once they find land. Very exciting prospect. Daniel and his partners at Sakala were all students at a school I was president of prior to the earthquake in 2010.

This was followed by a meeting with the President of NDUH in Hinche, where there is a school of nursing and bioscience. He shared their work with biogas and after our presentation was making plans to visit our farm in Boucantis. This partnership will assist us in the manufacturing and marketing of our charcoal. It will benefit his students as well with hands on programs.

This was followed by another trip to Levegue and the land the mayor's office will be donating to New Life Ministries for a BonZeb farm. The land had changed a bit in six weeks. Many locals had come to property to prep land for crops, but the hilltop covered in cactus is still available. It will reguire removing the 10 foot tall plants, but that is life.

We also made it to our own farm in Boucantis and the office and new land in Benico. In Benico we were able to mark off sites for our kiln platform, office, storage and classroom. On our way to Bouncantis we discovered that 'someone' has taken upon themselves to begin paving the road through our farm. Much smoother ride for a mile or so.

We also have a few sharecroppers growing congo beans on the lower part of the land. We are now looking at potentially growing coffee or cherries on the land that is not ready for grass. We also have thousands of palm trees on the land. With each rain more surprises emerge from the once barren land.

Each dollar we raise helps the process, the program and the people of Haiti.

Please consider a donation today.

Thank you.