COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL - NEW WEBSITE!!!

Check out http://www.cd-international.org to see CDI's new website!

Community Development International - en Français

En collaboration avec deux associés, j’ai fondé l'organisation - CDICommunauté Internationale du Développement -. Nous sommes enregistrés ici aux Etats-Unis. Initialement nos activités se concentreront principalement sur Haïti, mais nous avons l’intention de réaliser aussi des projets dans d’autres pays y compris aux Etats-Unis.  En mars dernier, nous avons effectué une opération de secours à Port-au-Prince, au cours de laquelle nous avons, avec une équipe de 10 personnes, fourni des soins médicaux, de l’eau, de la nourriture, des vêtements et des produits hygiéniques à plus de 1000 personnes.  Nous sommes récemment rentrés d'une mission d'enquête dans la zone rurale et isolée autour de Seguin dans le sud-est du pays. Pendant ce voyage nous avons discuté avec la population et réalisé des sondages démographiques.    Seguin est situé à proximité de la dernière forêt naturelle en Haïti. Celle-ci est particulièrement menacée par le déboisement et l'érosion est un grand problème. En outre, une ligne de partage des eaux se situant à cet endroit alimente environ un tiers de la population totale avec de l'eau potable.    Sur la base de nos recherches, nous aimerions réaliser des projets durables et écologiques, permettant à la population un développement socio-économique. Vu l’endroit stratégique de l’endroit, ceci est très important et en outre également en harmonie avec les plans de décentralisation du pays.   

Les projets potentiels sont par exemple l’élevage de lapins et poules, culture de champignons gastronomiques, le miel, la reconstruction du marché local et de la boulangerie, la construction d'une bibliothèque, la collaboration avec les écoles locales pour les enfants et les adultes, les soins médicaux, le reboisement et le développement de l’éco-tourisme (équitation, la randonnée, l'escalade, le yoga, etc.)  Au cas idéal, nous aimerions retourner vers la fin de l’année avec des bénévoles afin de mettre en œuvre quelques premiers projets. Nous sommes financés par des dons et subventions. En principe, nos projets doivent se réaliser sur la base des volontariats de 1 semaine à 1 mois de durée. Ainsi, nous aimerions aussi promouvoir la coopération internationale, la solidarité et la compréhension entre les jeunes. Des aménagements à cette fin sont disponibles par le biais de nos partenaires locaux.  Notre site web est www.cd-international.org (actuellement en forme de blog mais qui devrait être complété bientôt). Notre objectif est de recueillir également des dons et trouver des bénévoles en Europe. Par conséquence, le site sera à moyen terme traduit en allemand, espagnol et français.  Nous nous réjouissons de toute aide, suggestion ou partenariat.  

CDI - Communauté Internationale du Développement - est aussi accessible sur Facebook et Twitter. 

les enfants de Seguin.

Community Development International - auch auf Deutsch!

von Matthias Resch

Ich habe zusammen mit zwei Partnern die Organisation CDI - Community Development International - gegruendet. Wir sind hier in den USA registriert und werden zunaechst hauptsaechlich in Haiti aktiv sein, wollen jedoch zukuenftig auch in andere Laender expandieren und auch Projekte in den USA durchfuehren.

Bereits im Maerz haben wir eine Hilfsaktion in Port-au-Prince durchgefuehrt, waehrend der wir wir mit einem Team von 10 Leuten ueber 1,000 Menschen mit medizinischer Betreuung, Wasser, Nahrung, Kleidung und sanitaeren Produkten versorgt haben.

Vor kurzem kehrten wir von einer Fact-Finding Mission in der laendlichen und abgeschiedenen Gegend rund um Seguin in Sued-Osten des Landes zurueck. Auch dort haben wir bereits praktische Erfahrung. Wir sprachen dort mit der Bevoelkerung und haben demografische Umfragen durchgefuehrt.

Seguin liegt nahe des letzten natuerlichen Waldes in Haiti. Dieser ist durch Abholzung akut gefaehrdet und auch Erosion ist folgerichtig ein grosses Problem. Zudem befindet sich dort eine Wasserscheide, die etwa ein Drittel der Gesamtbevoelkerung mit Trinkwasser versorgt.

Unser Ziel ist es auf Basis unserer Untersuchungen Projekte durchzufuehren, die nachhaltig und oekologisch sinnvoll den Menschen sozio-oekonomische Entwicklung ermoeglichen. Dies ist aufgrund der beschriebenen strategischen Lage des Ortes sehr wichtig und ist zudem im Einklang mit den Plaenen, das Land zu dezentralisieren.

Potentielle Projekte sind bspw. Hasen-und Huehnerhaltuing, Zucht von Gourmet-Pilzen, Honigproduktion, der Wiederaufbau des lokalen Marktes und der Baeckerei, der Aufbau einer Buecherei, Zusammenarbeit mit lokalen Schulen fuer Kinder und Erwachsene, medizinische Betreuung, Aufforstung und die Entwicklung von Oeko-Tourismus (Reiten, Wandern, Klettern, Yoga etc.)

Im Idealfall wollen wir im Spaetjahr mit freiwilligen Helfern zurueckkehren und erste Projekte durchfuehren. wir finanzieren uns durch Spenden und Foerdergelder. Grundsaetzlich soll alles auf Basis von Freiwilligeneinsaetzen von einer Woche bis zu einem Monat durchgefuehrt werden. Dadurch wollen wir ebenfalls internationale Kooperation, Solidaritaet und Verstaendnis unter jungen Menschen foerdern. Entsprechende Unterkuenfte stehen uns durch lokale Partner zur Verfuegung.

Unsere Webseite www.cd-international.org ist derzeit nur ein Blog. Sie sollte aber nald voll umfaenglich sein. Unser Ziel ist es auch in Europa Spenden zu sammeln und Freiwillige zu engagieren. Daher wird die Seite mittelfristig auch auf Deutsch, Franzoesisch und Spanisch uebersetzt werden. Community development International gibt es uebrigens auch auf Twitter.

Wir freuen uns ueber jede Hilfe, Anregung oder Partnerschaft.

CDI spricht mit der Bevoelkerung. Verstaendis der lokalen Gegebenheiten ist fuer die erfolgreiche Durchfuerhung von nachhaltigen Projekten unersaetzlich.

Community Development International


Demographic Surveying Mission - Seguin, Haiti

July 2010

Preliminary Summary



On July 16th 2010, a team of volunteers from CDI travelled to the remote mountain region of Seguin, Haiti to conduct a preliminary surveying of the underserved population. The following report highlights the main objectives, results, and lessons learned from the completed inquiry.

Seguin, like most of rural Haiti, has failed to attract even a fraction of the media coverage and international support that has followed the January 12th earthquake, whose damage continues to be felt most extremely in the densely populated capital city of Port-au-Prince. Further constrained by its geographical isolation, five hours from the capitol and 2,600 meters above sea level, aid and support to Seguin must compete with the near-prohibitive costs of simply traveling to the location. The development of this region, however, remains a focal point in Haiti’s equitable and sustainable reconstruction for various reasons.

Of particular importance to the international development community is the un-tethered rate of deforestation that has long since removed from the countryside more than 98% of Haiti’s original forest cover. The implications of this practice on rural poverty are unquestionable. As peasants feel the economic pressures to cultivate land on the steeper, less fertile mountainsides, they remove the trees that anchor the nutrient-rich topsoil to the bedrock below. When it rains, the waters wash away this layer of soil, resulting in a lower yield for the farmers’ crops, and scenes of irreversible erosion leading to a domino effect of problems from landslides resulting in the destruction of homes and farms, the spillage of soil into rivers and ultimately into the seas harming and killing already endangered marine life.



The dependence of the country on wood and crahcoal as a main source of energy remains one of the largest obstacles to economic and environmental stability in the country. While the cutting of trees for agriculture is a serious threat to the productivity of the land, the more intense source of resource depletion stems from Haiti’s need for wood, often in the form of charcoal, to use for cooking. The long chain of resource mismanagement that ends with charcoal being used to fuel a fire in Port-au-Prince (the largest demand coming from the cities) has its beginning in the rural villages where the trees are being removed at a rate much faster than they can be replenished.

CDI travelled to Seguin to research the needs and demographic information of the area in the hopes of developing immediate and long-term projects that target the larger needs of the region: job creation, agricultural alternatives, education, and sustainable energy solutions. Alongside present development partners, most notably the environmental and infrastructure organization called Fondation Seguin and the German Development Service (DED), CDI conducted 50 “at home” interviews with families in a variety of sections within and surrounding Seguin. The sample population was chosen randomly. The questionnaires were designed to collect information pertaining to the following:



- Household; number of family members, condition of the house, utilities, ownership…

- Occupation; details pertaining to agriculture, commerce, livestock…

- Education; literacy skills within the home, schooling of the children, costs…

- Problems; identified needs in the areas of agriculture, education, and quality of life.

- Hopes



Results


The primary purpose of the survey was to identify the most pressing issues that community members felt, if resolved, would usher in improved quality of life for their families and the community as a whole.


Agriculture

The majority of those interviewed identified themselves as farmers, easily the single largest form of income generation in the area. Very few said that they ate what they grew; rather than subsistence farming, community members grew crops to sell in the local and surrounding markets that typically serve as the hub of economic activity in the countryside.

It was to the benefit of this inquiry that so many of the peasants shared similar concerns/ problems in their economic activities. Unfortunately, these problems also reflect larger inequalities whose roots extend deeper than the locality of Seguin. Many farmers said their biggest problem in the area of agriculture is a lack of money, either for buying seeds, or fertilizer (to combat the depleted nutrient-base of the soil from intensive land use and deforestation). The second largest concern was a lack of sufficient irrigation for their crops (sometimes this was expressed as "lapli pa tombe", or a general drought or lack of rain). The problems of money and water are, of course, interrelated; less water results in less yield which can mean fewer crops available for selling after the harvest.

Education

When we asked people if they felt that their children would enjoy a better quality of life compared to their own, most said that they did. When we pressed them further to explain why, the overwhelming response was education. Most parents that we interviewed had very limited, if any, literacy skills; a few could write their name. However, most parents also sent their children to school. Since the average annual cost for schooling in Seguin is roughly 1000 Goudes per student, the emphasis on education as a valuable tool for the youth is clear. Among the multitude of things that those interviewed felt Seguin was in need of is a secondary school. To date, students wishing to (and financially able to) continue onto higher education must travel to nearby Jacmel, or even farther to Port-au-Prince.

Jobs

Everyone that we interviewed believed that Seguin needs more available and variety of jobs. When we asked peasants if there was anything that they would like to learn to do, given the means, we were surprised to hear so many respond with alternative occupations. Carpentry, masonry, mechanic, and driver were some of the more common answers. When a house needs to be repaired, or furniture replaced, the community of Seguin must travel down the treacherous roads to neighboring villages for service. Alternatives to agriculture would allow the local economy to diversify and release farmers from their dependence on the often volatile climate that impacts the harvest. Further, it allows for families to generate income during the non-farming season.

Lessons Learned

While the demographic surveying was largely a success in identifying the needs of the community of Seguin, there is always room for improvement. One area that saw some discrepancies came from one of the survey’s questions; “Are you happy with your situation?” The two interview teams, one led by a Haitian, the other by an American fluent in Creole, received vastly different responses. One hypothesis is that when interviewed by a foreigner, the peasants felt more inclined to respond in the positive, expressing their contentment at having someone from outside the country visit their home (and perhaps the anticipated aid they felt they might be receiving). After a few interviews, this issue was noticed and the interviewer began to follow the original question with “why?” to make sure there was no confusion. Still, it seemed that half of the sample population continued to respond that they were happy, often with the explanation that they were grateful simply to be alive. One man even replied, “When I went to sleep last night, I woke up in the morning. That is why I am happy.” It can be safely assumed, however, from the long list of problems and needs even these happy people identified, that they were not content with their economic situation.

CDI team members are back from a two week trip to Haiti. After a full weekend in Port au Prince meeting with partners and colleagues we headed into the poverty stricken mountainous region of Seguin and conducted an important demographic survey and worked with members of the Fondation Seguin and the German Development Service (DED) on a myriad of projects plans for the region. This area is often overlooked but is actually one of the most strategically important areas of Haiti in regards to the nation-wide environmental and agricultural problems, which effect the entire country. More information on the survey and its results, project plans and ideas and how you can contribute to come shortly!

One of CDI's translators, Evens Belamour, conducting a survey near Seguin. More on Evens' uplifting story to come soon.. 

CDI Team members will be heading to Seguin, Haiti on July 17th - 30th. Seguin lies south of the capitol in the mountainous region by Parc La Visite, one of Haiti's last remaining environmental treasures. We will be conducting extensive demographic research, building relationships with locals, local leaders, other organizations working in the area and targeting our future projects in the area. Stay tuned here for updates from Haiti and a full report on CDI's project plans!

Thanks for visiting the provisional website for CDI!

CDI aims to build strong and sustainable urban and rural communities in both the worst off developing countries throughout the world and in local communities in the developed world. Through innovative projects and programs, following the Millenium Development Goals and through CDI's six core inter-related focal areas; Education, Health, Agriculture, Energy, Infrastructure and Job Creation, the process CDI follows is to identify communities that can benefit from our assistance, begin by working with local community leaders and inhabitants to establish interest in receiving assistance from CDI, researching the needs and demographic information of the area, devising a detailed and targeted step by step plan to implement sustainable projects and programs within the six core focal areas, execute the projects and programs, empower local inhabitants, monitor the effects and management for a provisional period to ensure success and ultimately leave the community in the hands of its inhabitants with a new sense of pride, ownership and empowerment. The individual program process varies widely as per location and is dependent on the location's particular needs, existing infrastructure and the individual geographical, medical, social and political conditions from area to area.

Vision: - A world in which the dignity of human life and the sanctity of environmental health, and the interconnectedness of these, is upheld through the development of self-sustainable communities that provide opportunity, empowerment and economic activity while creating a mindset of environmental stewardship and social equity.
- Communities that provide for adequate and sustainable allocation of resources and public services to the world’s most disadvantaged populations. 


Mission: - CDI's Mission aims to serve as a catalyst and to combine cause-specific forces into results-oriented coalitions that will stimulate societal and economic activities in developing urban and rural locations. Ultimately, CDI hopes to help those in need overcome the financial and environmental constraints of today’s inequitable global system and work towards the betterment of living conditions, human and environmental health, social cohesion, peace and justice in the world.

Summer - Winter 2010/2011:
CDI's pilot program will be in Seguin, Haiti and will be working to help build this region to increase the capacity and ultimately create a sustainable, environmentally friendly community with available jobs, education, commerce and health care to help decentralize the high percentages of Haiti's population from the congested cities to rural areas like Seguin.

Extensive demographic and physical research will be completed by the end of Summer 2010 at which point we will begin our first projects in the area. 




Founders:
Matthias Resch
Kevin Jamison
Veronica Sarrabayruse

Program Specialist:
Constantino Jose Rago