region: Haiti, Caribbean -> Nord

address: U.S. AIDG Office: 33 Harrison Avenue, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02111 -> U.S. AIDG Office: 33 Harrison Avenue, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02111 HAITI
mission: One in 3 of us, roughly 2 billion people don't have basic services such as electricity, sanitation and clean drinking water. Access to these services is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty in developing countries. The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water. Through a combination of business incubation, education, and outreach, we help people get technology that will better their health and improve their lives. Who are we? AIDG helps people in developing countries get environmentally sound and affordable access to energy, sanitation and clean water. What do we do? We help entrepreneurs in developing countries start small and medium-sized businesses that manufacture, install and repair green technologies for people living between $2-4 a day. These technologies help communities and families meet their basic needs for energy, sanitation and clean water, basic services that will improve their health and change their lives. We identify entrepreneurs through business plan competitions, offering on average $50,000 of seed funding, broken into grants and low-interest loans. The winners enter into AIDG's Business Incubation Program, receive technical training, and access to research services and university partnerships. Training with AIDG lasts 2 to 3 years depending on the technical complexity of the systems being implemented. These local businesses staffed with locally recruited engineering talent provide life-changing solutions that are low-cost, environmentally sound and sustainable. We believe that such infrastructure development is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty. Why do we do it? Peter Haas, AIDG's founder and executive director, describes what inspired him to start AIDG. There really is one moment that solidified the need for the organization in my mind. I was in Cuba, on a U.S. Department of Treasury permit, to look at urban agriculture and I visited two small pig farms just outside of Havana. The first farm had a biodigester for treating pig waste, which had been installed by the owner's nephew. It supplied methane gas for lighting, a stove and a gas-fired hot water heater. In addition, the fertilizer created in the biodigester helped increase crop yields on the farm. Overall, the farm lacked the typical odor associated with pig farming operations and had a clean well. The kitchen inside was spotless, thanks in part to the biogas stove, and the house was cool and shaded from numerous nearby trees. The other farm presented the most direct contrast one could imagine. The place was a sanitation nightmare. It reeked. Pig excrement was not only everywhere, but it also was contaminating the nearby stream. The kitchen was filled with black smoke from inefficient wood fires, for which they had cleared all the surrounding trees. Without the tree cover, the house baked in the sun. Furthermore, to light the house at night, the farmer was paying significantly for kerosene. Unfortunately the second farmer had no way to buy a biodigester if he wanted one. There were no biodigester businesses selling and repairing them the way there were tractor or well-digging businesses. As time passed and I worked in more countries, I saw this situation again and again. It became clear that these two pig farms in Cuba weren’t isolated instances; they were a representation of a greater need for the spread of appropriate technology. Those two farms initiated my realization that there was a niche for an organization like AIDG and the businesses it creates. -> One in 3 of us, roughly 2 billion people don't have basic services such as electricity, sanitation and clean drinking water. Access to these services is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty in developing countries. The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water. Through a combination of business incubation, education, and outreach, we help people get technology that will better their health and improve their lives. Who are we? AIDG helps people in developing countries get environmentally sound and affordable access to energy, sanitation and clean water. What do we do? We help entrepreneurs in developing countries start small and medium-sized businesses that manufacture, install and repair green technologies for people living between $2-4 a day. These technologies help communities and families meet their basic needs for energy, sanitation and clean water, basic services that will improve their health and change their lives. We identify entrepreneurs through business plan competitions, offering on average $50,000 of seed funding, broken into grants and low-interest loans. The winners enter into AIDG's Business Incubation Program, receive technical training, and access to research services and university partnerships. Training with AIDG lasts 2 to 3 years depending on the technical complexity of the systems being implemented. These local businesses staffed with locally recruited engineering talent provide life-changing solutions that are low-cost, environmentally sound and sustainable. We believe that such infrastructure development is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty. Why do we do it? Peter Haas, AIDG's founder and executive director, describes what inspired him to start AIDG. There really is one moment that solidified the need for the organization in my mind. I was in Cuba, on a U.S. Department of Treasury permit, to look at urban agriculture and I visited two small pig farms just outside of Havana. The first farm had a biodigester for treating pig waste, which had been installed by the owner's nephew. It supplied methane gas for lighting, a stove and a gas-fired hot water heater. In addition, the fertilizer created in the biodigester helped increase crop yields on the farm. Overall, the farm lacked the typical odor associated with pig farming operations and had a clean well. The kitchen inside was spotless, thanks in part to the biogas stove, and the house was cool and shaded from numerous nearby trees. The other farm presented the most direct contrast one could imagine. The place was a sanitation nightmare. It reeked. Pig excrement was not only everywhere, but it also was contaminating the nearby stream. The kitchen was filled with black smoke from inefficient wood fires, for which they had cleared all the surrounding trees. Without the tree cover, the house baked in the sun. Furthermore, to light the house at night, the farmer was paying significantly for kerosene. Unfortunately the second farmer had no way to buy a biodigester if he wanted one. There were no biodigester businesses selling and repairing them the way there were tractor or well-digging businesses. As time passed and I worked in more countries, I saw this situation again and again. It became clear that these two pig farms in Cuba weren’t isolated instances; they were a representation of a greater need for the spread of appropriate technology. Those two farms initiated my realization that there was a niche for an organization like AIDG and the businesses it creates.

notes: -> AIDG Impact in Haiti: Q1 & Q2 2010 Is this Building Safe? Mobilizing Earthquake Engineers to Help Assess the Damage A warehouse full of food aid is rocked by another series of aftershocks in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The World Food Program needs to know fast if the building is safe enough to enter to remove the aid or whether it’s all just a loss. That was a key question that a team of earthquake and structural engineering experts sponsored by AIDG with support from Partners in Health was able to help answer. In the early days after the devastating Haiti quake, we needed to determine how an NGO of our size could contribute to the humanitarian response and provide help that people would not otherwise get. In partnership with MCEER and the engineering firm KPFF, we have fielded 11 structural and earthquake engineering teams to perform rapid assessments of damaged buildings in Port-au-Prince, Leogane and Jacmel for the UN, the Haitian government, local and international NGOs and private citizens. The teams have together assessed over 1400 buildings including hospitals, clinics, schools, government buildings, warehouses and homes. ================================================= Training masons to Build Back Better “How can I repair this?” was a question our engineering volunteers heard over and over again in the weeks and months after the earthquake. Homeowners and business owners were grateful for the building safety assessments, but they also desperately wanted information on how to repair and rebuild. So in partnership with Architecture for Humanity and KPFF Consulting Engineers, AIDG has begun retraining masons in metro Port-au-Prince and Jacmel in confined masonry techniques that would make buildings significantly more earthquake resistant. To date we have trained 560 masons. In the coming months (pending funding) we will train 9,500 more. ================================================ Business Incubation: AIDG Funds Solar Startup Enersa This past February, AIDG gave Haitian solar start-up, ENERSA, a $15,000 emergency loan to help rebuild its factory damaged in the January 12 earthquake. Pre-quake, Enersa was the fastest growing solar company in Haiti with a product line that included solar street lighting, residential and commercial systems, as well as solar chargers for devices such as cell phones and lamps. In a chat with AIDG, Enersa co-founded JR Noël stressed the importance of creating jobs in Haiti. He believes that for Haiti to flourish, businesses need to create local employment. The company’s 18 fully qualified solar technicians, all capable of installing solar streetlights and photovoltaic home systems, are from Port-au-Prince largest shantytown, Cité Soleil. =============================================== Business Incubation: AIDG Backs Shelter2Home As Housing Solution for Displaced Families In Haiti The Haiti quake damaged or destroyed 20 to 90% of all housing stock the in metro Port-au-Prince area. In response to the great need, many companies came forward offering housing solutions of varying quality and appropriateness, but only one company stood out for us. Shelter2Home offered emergency shelters, built from light-gauge galvanized steel, that could be transitioned into safe and beautiful permanent homes during reconstruction. They were also one of the only businesses that had plans to manufacture in country, thus creating much-needed jobs. Based on these factors, AIDG has awarded S2H with a $15,000 rapid investment. CEO Donald Stevens was inspired to start S2H by his time spent in Sri Lanka after the tsunami where he saw NGOs struggle to transition displaced families from emergency structures to permanent homes. Mar 2010: AIDG distributed BoGoLights (solar flashlights) from Earthspark International to Camp Ismary in Port-au-Prince. Feb 2010: We distributed Handicap International Shelterboxes to the TB ward of the Port-au-Prince General Hospital. Feb 2010: On the 3 days of mourning after the quake, AIDG and SOIL distributed water to crowds gathered in prayer. Thank You Thank you to our friends, supporters and volunteers who have helped us at this critical time. A special thanks goes out to Matthew 25 House for providing a home base for us and many other small NGOs, Sasha Kramer (SOIL) and Melinda Miles (Konpay) for being constant inspirations, and the entire AIDG team for putting in very long, very hard hours in the aftermath of this disaster. A big big huge thanks to Peter Wheeler and Commonwealth Financial Group, Al and Diane Kaneb, Partners in Health and Architecture for Humanity for their generous donations and grants that made the above work possible.
mission: One in 3 of us, roughly 2 billion people don't have basic services such as electricity, sanitation and clean drinking water. Access to these services is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty in developing countries. The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water. Through a combination of business incubation, education, and outreach, we help people get technology that will better their health and improve their lives. Who are we? AIDG helps people in developing countries get environmentally sound and affordable access to energy, sanitation and clean water. What do we do? We help entrepreneurs in developing countries start small and medium-sized businesses that manufacture, install and repair green technologies for people living between $2-4 a day. These technologies help communities and families meet their basic needs for energy, sanitation and clean water, basic services that will improve their health and change their lives. We identify entrepreneurs through business plan competitions, offering on average $50,000 of seed funding, broken into grants and low-interest loans. The winners enter into AIDG's Business Incubation Program, receive technical training, and access to research services and university partnerships. Training with AIDG lasts 2 to 3 years depending on the technical complexity of the systems being implemented. These local businesses staffed with locally recruited engineering talent provide life-changing solutions that are low-cost, environmentally sound and sustainable. We believe that such infrastructure development is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty. Why do we do it? Peter Haas, AIDG's founder and executive director, describes what inspired him to start AIDG. There really is one moment that solidified the need for the organization in my mind. I was in Cuba, on a U.S. Department of Treasury permit, to look at urban agriculture and I visited two small pig farms just outside of Havana. The first farm had a biodigester for treating pig waste, which had been installed by the owner's nephew. It supplied methane gas for lighting, a stove and a gas-fired hot water heater. In addition, the fertilizer created in the biodigester helped increase crop yields on the farm. Overall, the farm lacked the typical odor associated with pig farming operations and had a clean well. The kitchen inside was spotless, thanks in part to the biogas stove, and the house was cool and shaded from numerous nearby trees. The other farm presented the most direct contrast one could imagine. The place was a sanitation nightmare. It reeked. Pig excrement was not only everywhere, but it also was contaminating the nearby stream. The kitchen was filled with black smoke from inefficient wood fires, for which they had cleared all the surrounding trees. Without the tree cover, the house baked in the sun. Furthermore, to light the house at night, the farmer was paying significantly for kerosene. Unfortunately the second farmer had no way to buy a biodigester if he wanted one. There were no biodigester businesses selling and repairing them the way there were tractor or well-digging businesses. As time passed and I worked in more countries, I saw this situation again and again. It became clear that these two pig farms in Cuba weren’t isolated instances; they were a representation of a greater need for the spread of appropriate technology. Those two farms initiated my realization that there was a niche for an organization like AIDG and the businesses it creates. -> One in 3 of us, roughly 2 billion people don't have basic services such as electricity, sanitation and clean drinking water. Access to these services is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty in developing countries. The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water. Through a combination of business incubation, education, and outreach, we help people get technology that will better their health and improve their lives. Who are we? AIDG helps people in developing countries get environmentally sound and affordable access to energy, sanitation and clean water. What do we do? We help entrepreneurs in developing countries start small and medium-sized businesses that manufacture, install and repair green technologies for people living between $2-4 a day. These technologies help communities and families meet their basic needs for energy, sanitation and clean water, basic services that will improve their health and change their lives. We identify entrepreneurs through business plan competitions, offering on average $50,000 of seed funding, broken into grants and low-interest loans. The winners enter into AIDG's Business Incubation Program, receive technical training, and access to research services and university partnerships. Training with AIDG lasts 2 to 3 years depending on the technical complexity of the systems being implemented. These local businesses staffed with locally recruited engineering talent provide life-changing solutions that are low-cost, environmentally sound and sustainable. We believe that such infrastructure development is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty. Why do we do it? Peter Haas, AIDG's founder and executive director, describes what inspired him to start AIDG. There really is one moment that solidified the need for the organization in my mind. I was in Cuba, on a U.S. Department of Treasury permit, to look at urban agriculture and I visited two small pig farms just outside of Havana. The first farm had a biodigester for treating pig waste, which had been installed by the owner's nephew. It supplied methane gas for lighting, a stove and a gas-fired hot water heater. In addition, the fertilizer created in the biodigester helped increase crop yields on the farm. Overall, the farm lacked the typical odor associated with pig farming operations and had a clean well. The kitchen inside was spotless, thanks in part to the biogas stove, and the house was cool and shaded from numerous nearby trees. The other farm presented the most direct contrast one could imagine. The place was a sanitation nightmare. It reeked. Pig excrement was not only everywhere, but it also was contaminating the nearby stream. The kitchen was filled with black smoke from inefficient wood fires, for which they had cleared all the surrounding trees. Without the tree cover, the house baked in the sun. Furthermore, to light the house at night, the farmer was paying significantly for kerosene. Unfortunately the second farmer had no way to buy a biodigester if he wanted one. There were no biodigester businesses selling and repairing them the way there were tractor or well-digging businesses. As time passed and I worked in more countries, I saw this situation again and again. It became clear that these two pig farms in Cuba weren’t isolated instances; they were a representation of a greater need for the spread of appropriate technology. Those two farms initiated my realization that there was a niche for an organization like AIDG and the businesses it creates.