AKSELERATÈ PATENARYA DYASPORA A, Rapò Final Zanmi Matènwa

DIASPORAPARTNERSHIPACCELERATOR,Friendsof Matènwa FinalReport,August7,2023 DISCLAIMERThispublicationwasproducedattherequestoftheUnitedStatesAgencyforInternationalDevelopment,Itwasprepared independentlybyFriendsofMatènwa USAID.GOV CONTENTS PROGRAMOVERVIEW....................................................................................................................3 SUMMARYOFRESULTS...................................................................................................................4 CHALLENGES...................................................................................................................................10 SUMMARYOFCAPACITYSESSIONS........................................................................................11 LESSONSLEARNED........................................................................................................................12 APPENDIXI:Feedback...................................................................................................................14 USAID.GOV 2 PROGRAMOVERVIEW WriteabriefsummaryofyourprojectandincludeProjectlocation WithassistancefromUSAID/BHA,Vistant,Miyamoto,andunderthedirectionoftheMatènwa CommunityLearningCenterDirectionCommittee,FriendsofMatènwa(FoM)builtseven housesinthecommunitiesofMatènwa,TiKlewon,NanMango,andPlennMapouontheisland ofLagonav,Haiti.Builtunderstrictenvironmentalstandardsthatprotectprospectivebuyers fromnaturalandenvironmentaldisasters,thehomesareequippedwithwateraccessand gardenplots.Thisensureshouseholdscangrowproducetoeatandsell,therebyincreasing theirincomewhilereallocatingsomeoftheirfoodbudget.Theyspendless,andtheymake more. Mainobjectiveoftheproject Overallobjective:Toreduceexposuretonaturaldisastersandpublichealthrisksamong residentsofLaGonavebyimprovingtheiraccesstosafeanddignifiedshelterthroughan innovative,sustainableloanmodelpilotthatprovides: 1.modelhomestoinfluencecommunitymembers’andbuilders’standardsofthelevelof qualitythatispossibleintheircontext 2.affordablehousingforthreepreliminarycohorts,includinginnovativedesignsthat reducedisasterexposure,reducewaste,andconnectresidentswithlong-term, resilience-buildingservicessuchasincome-generatinggardens 3.generatesfundsthroughaloanrepaymentprogramfortheprovisionofadditional homes. Innovativedesign:Ourinnovationsarethree-fold:1)buildingwithrecycledmaterialsthat reducewasteandresultinsturdierstructuresandreducevulnerabilitytohurricanes, earthquakesanderosion,2)providingfamilieswithafinancialinstrumentthatacceleratestheir accesstosafe,securehousing,and3)ensuringstoredwateraccessandrestoringland surroundingthehouseholdforlong-termresilienceandself-sufficiencythatreduces vulnerability. Startandenddateofproject:May31,2022-July31,2023 USAID.GOV 3 Whatlocalpartnersdidyouworkwith,ifany?TheMatènwaCommunityLearning Center SUMMARYOFRESULTS Theproject’smainobjectivewastobuildhousesforfamilieslivingonLaGonave.From November2022throughJune2023,theprojecthasinfused$163,200USDintotheeconomy ofLaGonave.Asidefromtravelexpensestomakeonsitesupervisoryvisits.All$163,200was infusedintotheLagonaveconomy.Thiswasachievedthroughthepurchaseof80%ofmaterials andconstructionequipmentfromtheislanditself.Wealsohired20localseasonalworkersand investedinfortifyingthelocalinfrastructure. FoMestimatesthatmorethan120residentsofLaGonavebenefiteddirectlyfromtheproject. Wehavealsoachievedthetransferofbuildingtechniques.Ourmasonslearnedthetechniques ofbuildingblocksandreinforcingthefoundationssotheyareearthquake-resistant.Asaresult, wewereabletobuildsturdierhomesthatareresistanttonaturaldisasters. Wealsousedrecycledmaterialstoreducewaste.Weusedrecycledplasticbottlestobuildthe innernonweightbearingwallsfortwoofthehouses.Wealsousedcompostforthelatrines. Wehavealsomadeavailablefinancialinstrumentsinorderforthefamilies’accesstosafeand securehousingisaffordable. Mostimportantly,wehavetriedtoinfusesustainabilityintothestructuresbyensuringaccessto storedwaterandbuildinggardensforgrowingproduce. MONITORINGANDEVALUATION Didyouconductanymonitoringandevaluation?Ifso,explainanydatacollectionor feedback.Pleaselistyouractivitiesandwhatweretheoutcomesofeachactivityin thetablebelow. MONITORINGANDEVALUATION Didyouconductanymonitoringandevaluation?Ifso,explainanydatacollectionorfeedback.Pleaselist youractivitiesandwhatweretheoutcomesofeachactivityinthetablebelow. RESULTSTABLE ACTIVITIES RESULTS USAID.GOV 4 ●Willcreatedrawingsofthe architecturaldesignofthehousesto bereviewedbyMiyamoto’s disaster-resistantconstructionand engineeringexperts. ●Willfinalizetrainingandcounseling plans. ●Willselectbuildersandprospective homebuyers. ●Communitieshavealreadybegun selectingprojectsites.Wewillstart thelegallandpurchasingprocessin all4communitiesduringthisphase. TheMatènwaCommunityLearning Centerhasundertakenthisprocess manytimesandhasnot encounteredissuesontheislandof LaGonave. ●Collectbottlesforthefirst4houses ●Thedrawingsweresubmitted, reviewed,andapprovedby Miyamoto’sengineeringteam. ●Twoteamsofbuildersandmasons werehiredtoworkonthe constructions;aprospective homebuyers’profilewasdeveloped bytheMCLCDirectionCommittee. ●Fourprojectsiteswereidentified andlandpurchasedwithassistance fromcommunityleadersresidingin thefouridentifiedcommunities. ●Miyamotoengineerssaidthatplastic bottlebrickswouldnotmeetHaiti’s postearthquakebuildingcodes, thereforetheMCLCDirection Committeehadtoforgousingwater bottlebricksforthefourouter weightbearingwallsofeachhouse. Willlaunchin2communities: ●Willconstruct4houses.Thisinitial constructionperiodwillalsoserve asadisaster-resistantconstruction trainingopportunityforbuilders fromall4communitiesthatwe intendtoworkwithoverthecourse oftheproject. ●Willprovideaninitialcohortof familieswithhomebuyers’ bootcamp,includingtrainingand counseling. ●Continuebottlecollectionforthe next4houses ●Thefourhouseswereconstructed andmadeavailableforinspectionby thedeadlinedate. ●Ascreeningandrecruitmentplanof prospectivehomebuyerswas developedbytheMCLCDirection Committee. ●Miyamotoengineerssaidthatplastic bottlebrickswouldnotmeetHaiti’s postearthquakebuildingcodes, thereforetheMCLCDirection Committeehadtoforgousingwater bottlebrickstoconstructthefour outerweightbearingwalls. InPhase1communities: ●Underthesupervisionofthe Miyamotoengineer,thefourhouses wereretrofittedbyJuly31,2023 USAID.GOV 5 ●Willretrofit4constructedhouses toimprovestructuralsafetyand integrity ●Willexpandto2more communities: ●Willconstruct3additionalhouses. ●Constructioninthetwoother communitieswasfinalizedbyJuly 31,2023. ●Willcompleteconstructionon7 housesinthe4communities. ●WillprovideCohort2familieswith homebuyers’bootcamp,including trainingandcounseling. ●Constructiononthesevenhouses werecompletedonJuly31,2023. ●Toprioritizetheretrofitandfinal constructionofthetwohouses,the homebuyers’bootcampwas rescheduledforAugust. DescriptionofDataCollection: Weinterviewedatotalof40people;10fromeachcommunity.Wepickedthesepeople randomly,fromalargergroupthathadbeeninvolvedwiththeprojectsincethesummerof 2022andsawtheprojectthrough.Theyattendedthemeetingsandwerepartofthe conversationsthatwehadwithcommunityleaders.Theycameforwardtospeaktoour intervieweroftheirfreewillsincetheywereinterestedintheprojectandmadethemselves availabletous. Weconductedthesurveysone-on-oneinanopenspacetoensurethateachintervieweecould interactandprovideresponsesfreely.And,thatwemaintainedanatmosphereoftransparency. Wealsowantedtobesurethatthepeopledidnotfeeltheimpactofoutsidepressure,suchas neighborsraisingquestionsonwhyaparticularmemberdidnotliketheproject.Orwhydidit notpleasethem.Ourobjectivewastogainpeople’strueperspectives. Theinterviewertalkingtothepeoplewassomeonewhowewereconfidentwasnotafamiliar faceinthecommunity.Itwashelpfulthatmostpeopledidnotknowher. USAID.GOV 6 USAID.GOV 7 USAID.GOV 8 USAID.GOV 9 CHALLENGES Whatwerethemajorchallengesoftheproject?Didyouachievetheresultsyou thoughtyouwouldatthebeginning?Whyorwhynot?Howdidyourespondto thesechallenges? FriendsofMatènwa:WecontinuetodebatehowmuchwecouldhavepressedMiyamotoand USAIDtoincluderecycledbottlesinourconstruction.Atthestartoftheproject,we highlightedthebenefitsofincludingrecycledbottlesinlocalconstruction.Duringperiodsof intenseheat,likethekindresidentsofMatènwaarecurrentlyexperiencing,housesconstructed inpartwithrecycledbottlesallowforthecoolbreezetoflowfreelythroughoutthehouse.Not onlydoestheconstructionuselesswaterandcement,buttherecycledbottleshelplessenthe intensityoftheheat.WeunderstandthesafetyconcernsraisedbyMiyamotoandUSAID. However,webelievethediscussionaroundtheusageofrecycledwaterbottleswasrushedand weshouldhavetakenmoretimetodiscusstheprosandcons. FriendsofMatenwa(FoM)wascreatedtofundMCLCandanyotherprojectsrelatedtothe organization.Thehousingandagricultureprojectsareindirectlyrelatedtotheschoolbutthey USAID.GOV 10 areapartoftheeffortsforimprovingthelivesoftheresidentsofMatenwaandneighboring communities.MCLCistheschoolthatChrisLoweandAbnerfoundedin1996topromote mothertongueeducationontheislandofLagonavandHaiti. TheMatènwaDirectionCommittee-Fiscal:Theprojectwasconductedinanatmosphereof volatilitywithconstructioncostsincreasingbecauseoftheriseintheUnitedStatesDollar (USD),especiallyduringNovember-March.Weimplementedathree-prongstrategytocontrol expensesandtostaywithinbudget: FromtheperspectiveoftheMatenwaDirectionCommittee,wetooknecessaryeffortslike: ●Weworkedcloselywithourbuyerstobuywholesaleasfarinadvanceaspossibleand whenmaterialswereavailableontheisland. ●Ourteamnegotiatedwithourlocalpartnerstogiveusdiscountswherepossibleto controlthehighcostofmaterialsthathadtobepurchasedonthemainlandand transportedtoLagonav.Forexample,thepriceofwoodtomakewindows,doors,etc. doubledduringphaseIoftheproject. ●FriendsofMatènwawasabletoadvanceusthefundsneededtocontinuewiththe projectuninterrupted.Thissupportmadeitpossibletokeepourstaffmotivatedand allowedustonegotiatepricesfromapositionofstrength.Wewereabletoaccomplish thisbecausewewereamongthefewprojectsoperatingontheislandthatcouldensure timelypaymentsofsalariesandpaymentsforgoods. SUMMARYOFCAPACITYSESSIONS WhatcapacitybuildingtrainingdidyouparticipateinwithMiyamoto?Werethey helpful?Why/whynot?Haveyouusedanyofthematerialorinformationfromthe sessions?Arethereothersessiontopicsyouwouldhavelikedtosee? InpartnershipwithMiyamoto,theFoMteamparticipatedinthefollowingcapacitysessions: ●SoWandTaskOrderwriting ●GrantWriting ●IntroductiontoMonitoringandEvaluation ●DataforImpact(multiplesessions) ●Datacollectiontooldevelopment ●FundingOpportunities:USAIDDIV ●HousingFinanceLoans ●ConcreteBrickMaking ●Disasterresistantmasonry/construction USAID.GOV 11 ●ReportWriting ●ConstructionDesign Thefollowingcapacitysessionsinformedourdiscussiononhowtoproceedtorecruiting prospectivebuyersanddevelopingafinancialproductthatwouldmakeitviableforselected buyerstopurchasethesehouses: ●HousingFinanceLoans ●ConcreteBrickMaking Thecapacitysessionshelpedourteamthroughthechallengeofdevelopingafinancialmodel thatwouldallowresidentsofLagonavtopurchasethesevenpropertiesthatarenowavailable tobepurchased. Theprocessofdevelopingsuchafinancialproducthasproventobedauntingforourteam.The potentialbuyerswhohavecontactedusareallinterestedina"renttoown"model,butthe challengeiscreatinga10-15or20-yearmortgagethatwouldappealtoafamilyearningUSD $3,000ayear. TheDirectionCommitteebelievesthatthefinancialproducttheywilldevelopinMatenwa couldbeamodelthatprivateandpublicentitiescanuseiftheywishtoinvestinaffordable residentialdevelopmentinHaiti. LESSONSLEARNED Whatlessonsdidyoulearnasaresultofimplementingthisproject?Thiscould includelessonsabouthowtoworkwithUSAID,partners,oryourcommunity.It couldincludelessonsaboutyouractivities,results,operatingcontext,orchallenges. OneofthekeylessonslearnedfromthisprojectisthatMCLCisarobustinstitution.Ithasall therequiredleveragetodealwithemergencysituationsandhasearnedthetrustofthe community.Wewereabletoovercomealotofthechallengeswefacedonthegroundthanks toMCLC’ssupport.Asmentionedearlier,despiteproblemsliketheriseofthedollarandthe uncertaintiesarisingfromthevolatilepoliticalsituationinthecapital,wecontinuedtomake progressbecauseourpartnersbelievedinus.Theytrustedusbecauseofourachievement recordinthecommunityandwereconfidentofwhatwewerehopingtoaccomplishwiththis project. USAID.GOV 12 Ourpartnerscontinuedtosupportuseventhroughdifficulttimesthatwerepotentiallyhitting theirprofitmargins.However,theyknewthattheprojectwasworththeinvestment.We’ve provedthatweareastronginstitutionontheislandwherethereisalackofsuchleadership. Wehavebenefitednotonlyourimmediatecommunity,butwealsohaveasignificantimpacton theisland. Wedid,however,identifyareaswherewecandobetter.First,wecontinuetohaveinternal conversationsonhowtocollectdatainrealtime.Weneedtoworkouthowtomeasurethe timeandmoneyspentondevelopingthesehouses.Trackingthevalueoftheseresourcesis essential.Wealsoneeddatatomeasuretheeconomicimpacttheprojecthadonthepeople whoworkedontheproject.Thisdataisparticularlysignificantgiventheuncertaineconomic andpoliticalconditionsontheisland. That’ssomethingwethinkwecanimproveandthus,communicatetheimpactwehavemade, moreintermsofquantitythanquality.That’ssomethingtheprojecthastaughtus.Thedatawill alsohelpustoassessinrealtimehowthemoneywearespendingishelpingthecommunity andhowthemembersaretakingadvantageoftheequitywe’reproviding.Ifcollectedefficiently, thisinformationcanprovetobeapowerfultoolforustodobetter. Movingonthesecondlessonwelearned,thisisourfirstexperiencematchingaprojectwith USAIDandinternationalpartners.Ittaughtusalotabouthowwethinkofthe30thanniversary ofMCLC,whatweneedtodo,andhowwecanbebetterpartnersinthefuture.Ifweenter intothesepartnershipsinthefuture,wenowunderstandhowtomakesurewe’re communicatingourobjectivesandmakingourvoicesheardearly. Wehavelearnedthatalotofthedifficultieswefacedthroughlaunchingtheprojectstemmed fromalackofseamlesscommunicationintheearlystages.Thingsimproveddramatically afterward,butthat’sanareawhereweneedtoworkonforthefuture.USAIDhasitsobjectives andwehaveourowngoals.Ultimately,withUSAIDandMiyamoto,weallwanttochampion whatpeopleonthegroundwant.Therehastobeanongoingcommunicationbetween ourselvesandourpartnerstomakesurethatwearecapturingwhat’sreallyhappeningonthe ground.Findingamiddlegroundwouldbeanidealsituation,butwedon’twanttofeellikewe’re losingsightofMCLC’sessence. USAID.GOV 13 APPENDIXI:FEEDBACK PartnershipDynamics PleasediscussyourexperienceworkingwithUSAID,PMCGandMiyamoto.Pleasefeelfreetobehonest aboutwhatworkedandwhatdidnot.Examplesofdiscussionquestionsinclude: •HowwasworkingwithUSAID?PMCG?Miyamoto?Whatweretheadvantagesandchallenges? •Werethesepartnersresponsivetoyourneeds? •Werelocalactorsandcommunitiesappropriatelyengaged? •Didyoufeelthatthesepartnersvaluedandrespectedyourtime,expertise,andchallenges? •Weretherequirementsoftheprojectclear?Fair?Appropriateforyourorganization? RECOMMEND ATIONSFORFUTUREPROJECTS TheDiasporaPartnershipAccelerator(DPA)intendedtoturntraditional partnershipdynamicsonitsheadandputnew,innovative,andlocalactorsinthe driver’sseat.TheDPAwasdesignedtocreateadynamicinwhichdiasporapartners werenotsimplyexecutingthevisionofdonorsorimplementingpartners;rather, thegoalwasthatUSAIDandMiyamotoadjusttoeffectivelyleveragetheskillsand assetsofdiasporapartners.Pleasediscussyourthoughtsonthis.Forexample: DidthethreewinnersandFoMfeelthattheprojectachievedtheirgoals? WeweresuccessfulinbuildingsevenhousesontheislandofLagnonav.Thehousesare physicallysturdyandtheyhaveagarden.Wealsousecompostforthelatrineswhichare luxuriesnottypicallymadeavailabletothepeopleontheisland.Weareveryproudofthe houseswebuilt.Oneofthelastinglegaciesofthesehousesisthatwefacilitatedtheprocessof knowledgetransferbetweenMiyamoto,theengineeringfirmthatwascontractedbyUSAIDto assistusintheseconstructions,andourteaminHaiti. Miyamotoenhancedourteam’sblock-makingprocessesthatweusedandaftertheir intervention,wearenowmakingsturdierblocks.Whatwehadbeforewereverygoodquality blocks,butnowtheyareevenbetter.OurmasonsreceivedtrainingfromMiyamotoon techniquestoreinforcethenewandexistinghouses.Thisknowledgewasnotpreviously availableontheislandbutisnow.Thatwillguaranteethatanyfuturehousesbuiltontheisland willbemuchsturdierthantheywerebefore. Allofthesegoalshavebeenmadepossiblebecauseofthisproject.Itwillnotonlybenefitthe sevenfamiliesthatwillhavemovedintothehousesinthecomingweeks,butwillalsobenefit futureconstructionontheisland.Wenowhaveagroupofpeoplewhoareuptodatewiththe mostrecenttechniquesonbuildingsturdierhomesthatcanwithstandnaturaldisasters. USAID.GOV 14 Thisknowledgewasn’tavailablebeforewhichiswhythiswasagreatcollaborationofdifferent organizationsincludingUSAID,Miyamoto,andFoM.Togetherweaccomplishedaprojectthat benefitedthepeopleofLagonav. Werelocalactorsandcommunitiesproperlyengaged? Theprojectwasledbythedirectioncommittee.Eachtimeweapproachedalocalcommunity, wemadesurewedealtwithlocalpoliticalofficialsandgroupsandsometimeschurchgroups also.Ourobjectivewastomakesureeveryonewasonthesamepage.Weconsulted communityassociationsbeforeenteringthemandensuredthattheywantedtheprojectand welcomedourinitiative.Sometimes,weaskedthemtoprovideequipmentorplacestostore oursuppliesasasignofgoodwill. Wereceivedtheirwholeheartedsupportandinreturn,thecommunityfoundthattheyhad somethingbeautifulandattractivetolookat.Theycouldtellothersaboutitandthatmadethe situationawin-windealforeveryone.TheprojectwassupportedbyMCLCthathasalong historywiththecommunityandisassistedbythecommunityandchurchgroups.Theyall playedacrucialparttomakesurethatthisprojectissuccessful. Iwouldalsoliketoaddthatthevendorswhoworkedwithussupportedusallthrough. Whetheritwasissueswithdelayedpaymentorprovidingcredit,theytrustedourwordand thatweweregoodforit.Theyensuredthattheprojectcontinuedunabated.Inall,itwastotally acommunityproject. HowwasworkingwithUSAID?Vistant?Miyamoto? Therelationshipwasfantastic.PeopleinHaitihavethisperceptionaboutUSAID-funded projectsthattheyareoutoftouchwiththerealityontheground.However,alltheentities, includingUSAID,Miyamoto,andVistantdidtheirbesttomakesurethattheprojectwasvery muchinlinewithwhatthecommunitywanted.Theyalsotappedintothelocalexpertiseto maketheprojectbetter.Itwaslikeabreathoffreshairworkingwiththemespeciallyinthe monthswhentheeconomicsituationwasunstable.Thepoliticalsituationwassuchthatitdid notallowmovementacrosstheislandandevenbetweentheislandandthecapital. USAID,VistantandMiyamotounderstoodthechallengesandtheycamethroughbyadjustingas andwhenneeded.Theyunderstoodthatthegoalwastofinishtheproject.Themost commendablefactorwasthattheyacceptedthatthingscanchangeonthegroundandthey mustadaptaccordingly.Thisissomethingthatneedstobecarriedthroughfurtherprojects--the understandingthatthingsareflexible. USAID.GOV 15 Ourjobistorespondtothesituationsontheground.Ifwecannotdothat,werelaythe perceptiontothecommunitythatourproposalsarenotrealistic.But,wewereabletoriseup tothechallenges.Thiswasaveryuniqueexperienceforeveryoneinvolved.Theflexibility demonstratedbyUSAIDcameacrossassurprising,impressive,andsomethingentirelynew.In thatway,wewereverypleasedwiththerelationship. Whatweretheadvantagesandchallenges? Thebestadvantagewehadwasclearandopenlinesofcommunicationbetweenallstakeholders includingUSAID,PMCG,Miyamoto,andourteaminHaiti.Wealwaysfeltthatwecouldgoand talktoourpartnersabouttherealitiesonthegroundandtheadjustmentsweweremaking.We couldcountontheirsupportwhichwasabsolutelyfantastic.Asforthechallenges,wedealt witheconomicandpoliticalsetbacksthatimpactedthecostsofthematerialsandeaseof movementacrossLagonavandmainlandHaiti. Sinceweareanon-profitorganization,wehadtheflexibilitythatallowedustomovemoney aroundwhilewewaitedforUSAIDtosendtheirfunds.But,ifwehadbeenaprivatesector actor,wewouldhavehadstrictbudgetsthatwouldhaverestrictedourabilitytoorganizethe funding.Intermsofthefundingandwhenwereceivedit,IthinkUSAIDwaswellawareofthat. Alotofthethingswewereabletoachievewasbecausewehappentohavegeneralfundsto borrowfrominsideourorganizationwhilewewaitedfortheUSAIDfundingtocomethrough. SomeotheragenciesandorganizationsmightnothavehadthesameflexibilityasFoM.Or,are notaswellfundedasFoM.Movingforward,IthinkUSAIDshouldadvancefundsbeforethe workneedstobedone.Theyshouldbemoremindfulofthetimelineofwhenthesupportthey providewillactuallybeneededinorderforthegranteetorespectUSAID’stimeline. WhatshouldUSAIDdodifferently?Howwouldyouredesignthisprojectifyou weretodoitagain? Wewerenotmadeawarethatwewouldbepartneringwithanengineeringcompanythat wouldreviewourdesignaswellasprojectbuildingmaterialsbeforeandduringconstruction.If wewerepartneringagaintomakeourbottlebrickhomes,Iwouldhaveitbearequirement thattheMiyamotoengineerscomeouttothesitebeforeconstructionbegins.Thentheycould lookatouralreadyconstructed30+bottlebrickhomesthathaveweatheredmanystormsas wellasthemorerecentearthquakesintheSouth.Iftheydidnotthinkthesehomeswereupto code,theycoulddiscusswithushowwecouldreinforcethesepre-existingbottlebrickhomes. USAID.GOV 16 NextourengineerandMiyamoto'sengineercouldhavecomeupwithabottlebrickdesignthat wouldaddressMiyamoto'sconcerns.Oncewecametoaconsensus,thenewplanwouldbe sharedwiththecommunitiesbeforelandwaspurchasedandgroundwasbroken,notafter.We wouldalsolookathowthiswouldchangethebudget.Allthiswouldbedonebeforethe communitiesstartedgatheringdiscardedplasticbottles. WewouldratherhavehadreinforcementstoourpresentdesignratherthanMiyamoto’s recommendationtomakethefourmainwallswithcementbricksinsteadofbottlebricks.The recommendationsprovidedbyMiyamotosuggestedthatourconstructionplansabidebythe country’sbuildingcodes.ToconformwithHaiti’sbuildingcodes,theuseofbottlebricks,an atypicalmaterial,withinstructuralelementsofbuildingsinthemannerproposedbyFoM,first requireslaboratoryandsystemtesting.Theyhadexperienceinusingplasticsinsomeother countries,buttherehadnotbeenanystudiesdoneonourtechniqueinHaiti.PerhapsUSAID, knowingwhatweproposedinourconstructionplan,shouldhavebroughtonanadditional engineertotheteamthatdidhaveexperienceinthistechniqueandprovidedthetimeand fundstotestourmethod.Therearemanycountriesthatdobuildwithbottlebricks.Onecould havebeenpartofourearlyzoomcalls. USAID.GOV 17 ResilienceinCraft:UpholdingMr.Lubin'sWoodworking LegacyThroughAdversity OursuccessstorycentersaroundMr.DieufaitsonLubin,ourcabinetmakerinMasikren, Lagonav,whoexcelsinwoodworking.Hehasbeenourcontractorforconstructingthedoors andwindowsofthesevenhousessplitbetweenfourcommunitieswebuiltonLaGonave.He hasalsobeenassistinguswiththetables,chairs,andotherfurniture. Duringthefall,fromSeptemberthroughNovember2022,politicalandeconomicchallengesin HaitiresultedinMr.Lubinfindingithardtoaccessfunds.Hewasunabletowithdrawmoney fromhisbankaccountorgetcustomersorvendorstopayhim.Alotofthepeoplehewas countingontoplaceorders,stoppedorcanceledtheirordersentirely. Mr.Lubinwasinaverybadshapebecauseofthelackofliquidity.Hehasthreepeopleworking forhim,twoofwhomarefull-timeemployeesandthethirdisanapprentice.Evenifhedidnot paytheapprentice,heneededtopaysalariestothefull-timepeopleworkingforhim.In addition,Mr.Lubinwouldhiredayworkersfromtheislandtoassisthimwhenhehadlarge orderstocomplete.Histradeisabigestablishmentonthatpartoftheislandandistheonly oneofitskind.But,atthetime,hewasfacingahugemoneycrunch. USAID.GOV 18 However,Mr.LubinwasabletopullthroughbecauseofFriendsofMatenwa’slargeorders.He couldrelyonourprojecttopayhimontimeandhewasabletoleveragethatincometogetby. HehadconfirmedordersfromtheMCLCDirectionCommittee,andsincetheprojectwas fundedbyUSAID,hehadcredibility.HisvendorsalsotrustedMCLCandtheMatenwateam becauseoftheworktheyhavedoneonLaGonaveinthepast.Thefactthattheprojectwas beingconductedinpartnershipwithUSAID,MCLC,andtheMatenwateamcarriedalotof weight.Thesefactorsallowedhimtopurchaseinventoryoncredit,whichwassomethinghe wasn’tabletodoearlier. Themoneywepaidhimallowedhimtopayhisfull-timeemployeesontime.Ourordershelped keephisbusinessafloatduringearlyfallwhenthingswerelookingbleak.NotjustforMr.Lubin’s business,butalsofortheothersacrosstheisland,theconditionswereveryunstable.But,the factthathehadaconfirmedsourceofincomewithbackingfromaUSAIDproject,gave assurancetopeoplethattheywouldgettheirmoneyontime. Mr.Lubinalwaysthanksusforthatbecausewithoutourassistancehewouldhavehadto terminatehisemployees’jobs,evenifitwasforashorttime.Hewouldhavehadtorelyonlyon hisapprenticeandhimselftodeliveronourproject’srequirements.Thatwouldhavebeena problemforhim. Mr.Lubinnowhasasteadybusiness.Hehasn’treturnedtohisfullformbecausetheconditions ontheislandarestillveryhard,especiallynowwhentransportationtotheislandisvery difficult.But,wekepthimopenandworkingduringthetoughmonthsandnowthatheknows thathehasmoneycominginfromus,monthlyorquarterly,thathelpshimalotwithhis liquidityissues. Thankfully,Mr.Lubincanrelyonourprojectinawaythathecannotrelyonthebankorhis othercustomers.Heisoneofourbiggestsuccessstoriesandwearehappythatwehavekept himgoingandinbusiness.Heisoneoftheleadingcontractorsontheislandandsincewewere servicinghalftheisland,itwasimportantforhimtostayopen.Weweregladtobeableto contributetohisbusinesssustainingthroughsomeofthemostchallengingtimesontheisland. USAID.GOV 19 USAID.GOV 20 USAID.GOV 21