Aimee Gaines

As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Haiti (2001-2003), I returned to Haiti to reconnect and help out with the continuing earthquake relief efforts.  I have found my niche as a permaculture instructor and currently co-facilitating a movement to transform Cite Soleil, from one of the poorest & most dangerous slums in the western hemisphere to the cleanest, greenest place in urban Haiti.
 
I live in Cite Soleil, working closely with community leaders as both a mentor and project coordinator.  This movement, called Konbit Soley Leve (Rising Sun Collective), is strictly voluntary and the leaders pride themselves on working within the limits of their own resources.  What started as just an idea in one community now consists of more than twenty active communities and is spreading rapidly throughout Cite Soleil.  

My community and I have a vision to create the first self-sufficient community in Haiti.  Thus far, we are still in the first phases of development.  A community clean-up campaign has been implemented, all of the houses have been spruced up with a fresh coat of paint, street lights have been installed, public green spaces have been established and trees are being planted along the streets.  The next phases include a recycling center, ecological sanitation, community gardens, solar street lighting, rain catchment systems, ecological housing, a green school & community center, environmental education, a time banking system and the development of the local beach.

I am currently being supported by Future Generations (www.future.edu).