SMALL BUSINESSES
Project Living Hope is excited to have in the works several small business employment opportunities. In Haiti, only about 20% of adults have formal employment. These businesses are designed to create jobs, generate sustainable income for the organization, and increase the self-sufficiency of the community by providing a local resource for drinking water, protein and fruit.
The goal was to launch the first businesses by mid-2022. Unfortunately, the challenges in Haiti increased, delaying these plans. After many delays and challenges with ports closed, downscaling our design, and roads being blocked, materials to build two chicken coops were finally delivered to the PLH campus! Along with the coop materials and chicken equipment, we shipped two bee boxes, and some of the equipment to set up our purified water center. It is our goal to get the chicken, honey bee, and water businesses running by the end of 2024. Please be praying for continued progress, for training for our staff, and for successful launches for these businesses.
Fruit Orchard
Impact: Vendors will be able to come pick citrus and other fruits in bulk to resell.
Status: Trees have been planted and are making progress.
Kitchen
Impact: The kitchen will provide lunches to the PLH staff and academy players. Students, spectators, and visitors will be able to purchase meals and drinks.
Status: Construction is complete. Equipment to outfit the kitchen has been purchased and is in Port-au-Prince and Oregon waiting for the opportunity to be delivered to the campus.
Solar Fruit Dehydrator
Impact: PLH will purchase mangoes, breadfruit, and other produce locally. It will then be dried and packaged or ground into a nutritious flour in the case of breadfruit. The products can be used throughout the year and sold at a profit.
Status: The dehydrator has been delivered, but the manufacturer has been unable to acquire the final piece to make it operational.
Water Purification Center
Impact: The nearest purified water center for our community is a 15-minute drive away. The PLH water center will provide the community with a reliable and affordable place to purchase water as well as provide drinking water for our campus and programs.
Status: PLH purchased a small bio-sand filter which allows us to filter drinking water for our programs. We hope to get our water filtration center up and running soon which will be able to produce a much larger supply of water and provide a place for community members to purchase drinking water at a low price, and create jobs for locals.
Chicken Coop
Impact: The PLH laying-hen business will create a local source of protein in the form of eggs and meat. Nearly all of Haiti's eggs and chicken is imported from the Dominican Republic and the US. During times of unrest, these products can be impossible to find. With the PLH chicken coops, local vendors will be able to purchase in bulk to resell at the market.
Status: We poured a concrete foundation to protect the birds from mongoose and other predators, erected the coop structures, and are getting ready to outfit the coops with nesting boxes and other equipment. We have three staff selected to participate in training to manage the chicken business.
HONEY BEE FARM
Impact: Honey is a popular product in Haiti but expensive and difficult to find. The bee hives will allow PLH to sell raw honey generating revenue and creating jobs.
Status: We have two bee boxes and are in the process of locating a nucleus hive, which comes already filled with bees, so we can start our bee farm.
Do you have interest or experience in this area? Contact us. We would love to connect with you!