One Love 108 and Rock the Love are fundraisers for Off the Mat, Into the World (OTM). OTM’s mission is to use the power of yoga to inspire conscious, sustainable activism and ignite grassroots social change. Their Global Seva Challenge is a transformational journey that builds community, provokes critical consciousness about global issues of social justice and equity, and raises significant funds to support communities in crisis.
In 2011, the Seva Challenge focused on meeting critical needs and creating long term sustainable solutions in Haiti. The focus of the mission is not just relief efforts from the devastating earthquake, but building clean water sources and sustainable income via jobs creation. Jenn Usherr and Anne Lenhardt are two Dallas yoginis that took the Seva Challenge, raised over $40,000, and are now serving in Haiti, February 4-18, 2011. Here are the organizations that the much needed funds are benefiting:
FUNDS RAISED BY ONE LOVE DALLAS WILL BE GOING TO THESE PROJECTS IN HAITI:
Micro-financing with Fonkoze and Zafèn:
Micro-financing can be used to the describe the movement whose object is “a world in which as many poor and near-poor households as possible have permanent access to an appropriate range of high quality financial services, including not just credit but also savings, insurance, and fund transfers.”For many politicians, economists, and activists, micro-financing is seen as the greatest single asset in the war against poverty. In Haiti, whose poverty rate is estimated by the CIA at near 80%, the need for non-traditional lending is vital.
We will be working with two main micro-finance groups in Haiti: Fonkoze and Zafèn. Fonkoze is Haiti’s Alternative Bank for the Organized Poor. It is the largest micro-finance institution in Haiti with 41 physical branch locations spread across the country. Fonkoze serves more than 45,000 women borrowers, most of whom live and work in the countryside of Haiti, and more than 200,000 savers.
Zafèn, in contrast, is an online community whose work is focused on developing relationships between lenders and borrowers to facilitate in the development of jobs by taking advantage of the larger spread Haitian diaspora. Under the direction of the Zafèn Steering Committee, Zafèn creates an opportunity for lenders and donors to contribute financial resources to sustainable business projects through an online mechanism. It does not fund projects itself.
Some of the money raised by One Love Dallas will go directly to funding these two organizations. We will spend time with both Fonkoze to be educated about micro-financing and meet loan recipients and time with Zafèn to meet sponsored small businesses.
Rural Development with Association of the Peasants of Fondwa:
The Peasants Association of Fondwa is grassroots organization that has worked hand in hand with the peasants of Fondwa, an area approximately 2 hours south of Port-au-Prince. Prior to the earthquake, APF developed a number of economic and social programs: bakery, credit union, restaurant, carpentry shop, beverage depot, orphanage, community radio station, water abstraction. After the devastating earthquake, all of APF’s projects and infrastructure was completely destroyed.
OTM will work with the people of APF to rebuild the community center that was at the core of many of these programs. This project will allow APF to get back on its feet and begin their development programs in the community once again. It will create jobs in the community, teach valuable vocational skills, serve as a base for all APF supporters to visit, and provide an income to support the organization.
In addition, we will work with the APF on tree planting initiative. Deforestation is a nationwide endemic which leads to widespread erosion of the topsoil, lack of protection from strong winds and hurricanes, and lack of soil nutrients for crops. Working directly with the rural peasants in Fondwa and with the oversight of APF, we will work to sponsor and plant 1,000 trees.
Water Purification Systems:
We are excited to be working with Fountains of Hope (FoH) to install water filtration systems at the orphanage and school set up by APF. FoH’s mission is to oversee the installation, integration and teaching of safe water solutions for the poorest and most marginalized, especially in times of disaster or emergency. Contaminated water is the #1 cause of death in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, 80% of all illnesses can be attributed to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation.
The Fountains of Hope Water Purification System utilizes a water purifier that creates chlorine from ordinary table salt to disinfect water and make it safe for drinking. The water purifier uses electricity (AC or battery), table salt and water to create chlorine that kills harmful bacteria in the water. The purifier can treat up to 55 gallons per minute (3,300 gallons per hour)! A single purification system can make enough clean water to sustain up to 5,000 people.
Children in Jacmel:
Reliable statistics regarding orphans in Haiti are scarce, however the need is abundant. With the funds raised from One Love Dallas and other, OTM will help to fund and support the Jacmel Children’s Center. This orphanage is based on the work of a single woman in Jacmel who currently serves food, education, and love to nearly 300 children living in tents or on the streets of Jacmel.
We will also work with the Faith & Love Orphanage and the Art Creation Foundation for Children, both in Jacmel. Both of these projects help create better lives for the children living in Jacmel. We will continue to explain these projects as more details come available.
Rubble Removal in Port-au-Prince with J/P HRO Haitian Relief Organization:
Finally, the funds from One Love Dallas will go towards the ongoing work of the J/P HRO. J/P HRO was founded by Sean Penn in the immediate aftermath of the 2010 earthquake and is focused on five target areas: Camp Management, Medical, Rubble Removal Facilitating Community Regeneration, Education, and Emergency Response Operations. We will work with them specifically on rubble removal.
In its first 12 months, J/P HRO removed 55,000 cubic meters of rubble and debris from the streets, equaling an average of 25-30 trucks per day from the Delmas 32 area in Port au Prince. They have been recognized as an innovative leader in rubble removal and manual demolition, serving as a model for other international organizations working to achieve the same goal. According to their website, “Rubble clearance allows the rebuilding of communities, the returning of families to neighborhoods, and increased safety for all. It is anticipated that reopening of schools and businesses will soon follow as communities are repopulated.”
