Domes for Haiti
Domes for Haiti is a volunteer driven grass roots disaster relief project based out of Brooklyn, NY that addresses the immediate need for hurricane resistant shelter in Haiti. We are committed to sending ten pre-fabricated portable geodesic domes to Haiti in time for Hurricane season. This project was conceived of in late February in response to the lack of safe shelter presently available for displaced people in Haiti, specifically, orphans. We aim to set an example of an aerodynamically sound hurricane resistant emergency shelter that can be mass produced and rapidly deployed in response to natural or manmade disasters.
The domes we are building are 17’ in diameter and 8.5’ high in the center. They are anchored into the ground using rebar and cement. Each dome can house from 10 to 20 kids. We are making the frames from 1” EMT conduit pipe struts bolted together in 26 overlapping joints. The dome covers will be fabricated using UV resistant rip stop recyclable vinyl fabric and will include 5 windows for maximum air circulation. When properly anchored, geodesic domes have been known to withstand up to 150 mph winds. The domes can be assembled in two hours with two people using simple adjustable wrenches.
In the two and a half months since this project's inception, we've received over $27,000 worth of in kind donations of materials, manufacturing and workspace. We have completed fabrication of enough metal struts to build ten dome frames. They are all packed on palettes in our warehouse ready to be shipped on the next boat to Haiti. Now all we need is funding to pay a manufacturer to fabricate the covers. We need $17,195.00 to complete the covers. This price quote includes shipping to Miami, where we intend to put it on a boat with the help of Can-do.
This project is time sensitive as we are racing the weather to save lives. The urgency of the need for strong shelters in Haiti as soon as possible has restricted our ability to raise funds in the traditional methods available for non-profits. We are asking for monetary support in solidarity with the people in Haiti. The money we raise will go directly to housing people with no bureaucratic waste. The price quoted above includes virtually no compensation for administrative work or travel expenses for our crew. We are all volunteers, paying our own travel expenses to Haiti.
In Kreyol, there is a word; "Konbit". It represents a traditional form of cooperative communal labor similar to a barn raising where many people gather together to help one person or one family with a task that requires many hands. This is an opportunity to practice Konbit on a global scale. By pooling our considerable resources, many lives can be saved this year from the impending second wave of disaster that is coming to Haiti on the winds of El Nino, starting in JUNE.
In addition to building domes, we are also doing a tool drive to send with the domes. We would like to send a set of hand tools along with each dome kit. The budget for the tools in total is just under $1000. That buys ten of each tool we have listed below. Additional funds are being sought to bring to Haiti to hire Haitian workers to prep the sites for the domes to be assembled on. We have ground support in Port Au Prince on standby to receive us. We are in collaboration with Can-do among other grass roots organizations. We will be personally delivering the domes to orphanages to ensure they are fully utilized to shelter homeless youth.
If we receive sufficient funding in an expedient manner, we could have these ten domes in Haiti in a matter of 3 weeks from time of receipt of funds. Please donate to this effort generously so that we can support the kids in Haiti by providing hurricane resistant shelter for them asap.
We are sponsored under the umbrella of a 501c3 nonprofit organization called Not An Alternative. your donations are tax-deductable.
Partial list of supporting businesses and organizations:
3rd Ward Brooklyn, Grass Roots United, Duggal,
Can-do,
Turtle & Hughes,
Laidman Fabricating,
Buckminster Fuller Institute
Not An Alternative, Sugarland, MTV
http://domesforhaiti.blogspot.com/
Tools Needed:
Shovels, Post Hole Diggers, Metal Rakes,
Sledgehammers, Pick Axes and C-Wrenches.
Building Supplies:
Rebar, Cement, 3/8" Hex Head Bolts, Nuts and
Flat Washers. Super Adobe Poly tubing.
Packaging Supplies:
Road Cases, Ratchet Straps
Use of a Box Truck & Fork Lift
Any and all of these objects can be donated and shipped here
Domes For Haiti c/o 3rd Ward Brooklyn, 195 Morgan Ave Brooklyn, NY 11237
Stay tuned to our blog for current updates Domes For Haiti Blog