PROJECT OVERVIEW | DURISSY SCHOOLS - PETIT GOAVE, HAITI
At the heart of the Caribbean, Haiti - known as the “Pearl of the Antilles’ - is renowned for creole culture and the country’s impressive natural beauty as an island of mountains. Unfortunately, Haiti’s location makes the country highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including frequent hurricanes, flooding and earthquakes. Since the catastrophic magnitude seven earthquake in 2010, Haiti has undergone a long rebuilding process and slow economic growth. The development of renewable energy infrastructure, both public and private, is central to Haiti’s rebuilding strategy and particularly important to rural areas outside the capital of Port-au-Prince.
This project will partner with Educate Haiti, an American nonprofit whose mission is focused on educating two generations of Haitians by fostering human capital through primary education. In the past few years, Educate Haiti has constructed two new schools, one primary and one high school building, and have enrolled more than 400 students in a rural area called Durissy, near the coastal town of Petit Goave. The majority of families in Durissy experience extreme poverty, and there is a high illiteracy rate among most adults. Households consist of simple brick room structures and metal roofs with the families surviving from yard farms.
Home repairs after Hurricane Matthew.
Prototype classroom wired with lights and fans and powered by a generator to test lighting and ventilation requirements.
Due to a lack of energy infrastructure, school days in Durissy often end in the early afternoon, when their unlit and uncooled classrooms become too hot to safely hold classes. This project will provide the high school and primary school structures with a renewable source of electricity, facilitating the installation of lights and fans. In the future, it is hoped that classrooms can benefit from laptops computers to augment educational activities, all charged using solar energy.
Twende Solar, a Portland-based non-profit operated and supported by solar PV industry professionals, bridges the gap between renewable energy experts and under-resourced populations around the world. Attracting the best of the PV industry, Twende Solar leverages its volunteers’ expertise, connections, and philanthropic spirit to install high-quality solar PV systems at an affordable cost for its partner organizations. Let's go solar, together!
