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Pilot Programs
(Phillippeau, Belle Vue la Montage & Pernier)
CEN chose three pilot communities in Petion-Ville to test its program. Phillippeau, a slum area located in Jalousie; Belle Vue la Montage, a rural section located in the mountain; and Pernier another rural community located in the valley.
Why did CEN choose these three communities?
These three communities, mentioned above are the most active and are already organized which allowed them to realize and sustain current community projects, such as school programs and trash management. We also recognized that these different zones are confronted with issues directly impeding sustainable development. The pilot projects below are designed to help build the capacity of the committees in these localities, throughout the process CEN provides them with the training and access to information and funding they need to prepare, implement and sustain these projects. The following projects were identified by the community leaders as their top priorities:
Belle Vue La Montage: Prefab Health Center and Irrigation System
Prefab Health Center: To receive basic health services, the residents of Belle Vue la Montagne have to walk about 5 to 10 km. The road is steep and motorcycle transportation can cost up to 500 gourdes or $10. To overcome this problem, CEN is assisting the community to find financing, through partners, for a prefabricated health center equipped with all the necessary medical first aid. For the maintenance of the center and to pay for a nurse, the beneficiaries will be required to pay a reasonable amount for the care received. They will also engage the local churches and businesses to help finance the health center. Furthermore, additional care will be provided by volunteers during mobile clinic days or health campaigns. They community has already identified a centralized spot for the health center.
Reforestation: The "Adopt a parcel" will be managed by Belle Vue la Montagne committee. Residents have already identified plots that could be adopted by schools, organizations, families ect.. In partnership with Centre CREER, an environmental organization that will benefit from the capacity building program of CEN, the community of Belle Vue la Montagne will be well supported to effectively manage the reforestation program.
Irrigation: Drinking water in Bellevue la Montagne is a scarce resource. Accessing the spring is extremely difficult. The spring is located at the bottom of very steep slopes of the very mountainous area. Residents are forced to walk down a long winding down steep slope to fetch water. Currently there is no existing water distribution system for irrigation or for domestic uses. The only water storage system they have is one reservoir that was built by Food for the Poor. CEN is assisting in identify partners that could give technical assistance to help the committee design the most efficient and sustainable water management system for the area. CEN is also helping to identify partners that provide technical assistance to help identify alternative better suited crops for the area and that yield higher rate of return.
Why did CEN choose these three communities?
These three communities, mentioned above are the most active and are already organized which allowed them to realize and sustain current community projects, such as school programs and trash management. We also recognized that these different zones are confronted with issues directly impeding sustainable development. The pilot projects below are designed to help build the capacity of the committees in these localities, throughout the process CEN provides them with the training and access to information and funding they need to prepare, implement and sustain these projects. The following projects were identified by the community leaders as their top priorities:
Belle Vue La Montage: Prefab Health Center and Irrigation System
Prefab Health Center: To receive basic health services, the residents of Belle Vue la Montagne have to walk about 5 to 10 km. The road is steep and motorcycle transportation can cost up to 500 gourdes or $10. To overcome this problem, CEN is assisting the community to find financing, through partners, for a prefabricated health center equipped with all the necessary medical first aid. For the maintenance of the center and to pay for a nurse, the beneficiaries will be required to pay a reasonable amount for the care received. They will also engage the local churches and businesses to help finance the health center. Furthermore, additional care will be provided by volunteers during mobile clinic days or health campaigns. They community has already identified a centralized spot for the health center.
Reforestation: The "Adopt a parcel" will be managed by Belle Vue la Montagne committee. Residents have already identified plots that could be adopted by schools, organizations, families ect.. In partnership with Centre CREER, an environmental organization that will benefit from the capacity building program of CEN, the community of Belle Vue la Montagne will be well supported to effectively manage the reforestation program.
Irrigation: Drinking water in Bellevue la Montagne is a scarce resource. Accessing the spring is extremely difficult. The spring is located at the bottom of very steep slopes of the very mountainous area. Residents are forced to walk down a long winding down steep slope to fetch water. Currently there is no existing water distribution system for irrigation or for domestic uses. The only water storage system they have is one reservoir that was built by Food for the Poor. CEN is assisting in identify partners that could give technical assistance to help the committee design the most efficient and sustainable water management system for the area. CEN is also helping to identify partners that provide technical assistance to help identify alternative better suited crops for the area and that yield higher rate of return.
Phillippeau: Composting Toilets and Urban Farming
To help the most vulnerable families, CEN is helping the local organizations put together a sanitation system and an agro-ecology plan which includes communal toilets and a home garden system for growing healthy and organic vegetables.
Composting toilets: Given the unorthodox construction method and overpopulation of the slum area, it is very difficult to build modern toilets or latrine for each family. However, it is urgent to reduce the risk of contamination by feces thrown on the ground in plastic bags and in the ravine. Also, the waste from the community toilets could be used for the production of compost for home gardens.
Peepoople: Peepoo is a personal, single-use, self-sanitizing, fully biodegradable toilet that prevents feces from contaminating the immediate area as well as the surrounding ecosystem. Four weeks after use, Peepoo turns into valuable fertilizer that can improve livelihoods and increase food security.
Home gardens: This home garden program will increase food security and reduce child malnutrition. Local leaders, as well as an agronomist from the area have already started preparing the urban agriculture project. They have also identified small lots for the greenhouse for the seeding that will be distributed to the most vulnerable families. Each family participating in the program will receive training on how to start and maintain a home garden. The local team in charge of this program has successfully implemented a similar program in Carefour-Feuille.
Pernier: Portable Water
Access to potable water, good road and schools are the three top priorities of the Pernier community, according to the residents. Access to potable water could be easily solved on this flat terrain, given the adequate infrastructure. Because access to water has been a source of major conflicts among the residents, helping them solve this issue is a pre-requisite to any sustainable development program for the area.
For over a year, CEN has been sensitizing key leaders in the community about the necessity to organize themselves in order to increase access to potable water and make it more equitable. Meanwhile, CEN has been in contact with NGO, Foundations and other actors specialized in that sector to assist the community in finding a sustainable solution to this issue. The community already understood that these partners will not assist them unless they are organized and the partners have the assurance that the solutions proposed are really supported by the community.