ReplanteART is a pilot project for local development in Chermaitre, Haiti, which uses art and creativity as the means to achieve its goals.
The project is supported by the NGO, Vassar Haiti Project, who has been working in this community since 2001.
Main features and goals of the crowdfunding campaign
The main objectives of ReplanteART are:
• To promote Chermaitre's local economy through art and its cultural identity (technical skills training).
• Improve self-confidence and develop critical thinking skills of its population (social skills training).
Chermaitre is a very small self-sustaining community with a predominantly female population, living in direct contact with nature. However, the local economy is practically non-existent, which makes it difficult to access even basic services, such as health care.
For this reason, we at ReplanteART want to provide support to improve their living conditions by offering resources and training through artistic workshops to develop their technical, economic and social skills, which will empower them to become agents of change.
In addition to these workshops, ReplanteART has a block that we have called Synergies, fundamental for achieving the project's goals.
(I) Artistic Workshops
The program will be carried out in the field over the course of 3 weeks and half, and will be aimed mainly towards the working women of Chermaitre and the neighboring villages -- between the 18 and 35 years of age.
It is structured in two parts: artistic workshops and complementary activities.
Through the artistic workshops, the participants will learn various techniques and skills. The goal is to promote a process of expressive and dynamic creation that encourages the development of creativity and to think about the environment from a new perspective.
More information on the activities / workshops on the web https://replanteart.wordpress.com/
(II) Synergies:
Before, during and after the field work phase, we will create a network of contacts to combine various expertise and experiences, to achieve a greater impact to and give continuity to the project.
This network will be built around three target audiences:
• International trade synergies: to give exposure to local talent and local production.
• Local synergies: to give continuity and support to the work in Haiti.
• National and international artistic synergies: to offer us the possibility of exposing the resulting work and even of performing some artistic residences for the local people who might be interested.
The project is supported by the NGO, Vassar Haiti Project, who has been working with this community since 2001. We share the same approach and values. For more information visit the following link http://www.thehaitiproject.org/
Why this is important
This proposal is born out of the motivation of a group of young professionals who come from different professional sectors and who seek the creation of more fair and balanced future societies.
We share strategic points of view that have defined the basic aspects of the project, specifically that the development of a country must be led by its population.
We present ReplanteART as a pilot project that unites these concerns and puts into practice a form of community development based on our training and experience in various sectors and contexts.
Why Chermaitre?
According to data from the World Bank, the rural population in Haiti has gone from 80% in 1980 to 41% in 2015. Haitians have moved to urban centers in search of opportunities, but in cities they face extremely hash living conditions.
Chermaitre is a very small community that has resisted this urban trend. Away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, its self-sustaining population, mainly women and children, continues to live in direct contact with nature. However, although security conditions in Chermaitre are better than in the city, which facilitates the execution of the project, there are difficulties associated with the lack of economic means (local economy practically nonexistent), and access to such basic resources as sanitation, electricity and running water, and education.
Within this framework, ReplanteART emerges as an innovative response that seeks to boost its social and economic development without the need to change their lives by migrating to the city.
Goals of the crowdfunding campaign
We are looking forward to landing in Haiti to launch the ReplanteART project together with the people of Chermaitre and we need your help! The objective is to raise a sufficient amount that will allow us to purchase the material needed for the development of the workshops, to cover traveling expenses, and to create an effective dissemination campaign.
The goal is to raise 4664 euros (minimum budget) that will allow:
- To kick start the entire artistic program.
- To purchase the necessary material for the development of the workshops.
- To cover travel expenses (airfare, lodging, modes of transportation, etc.)
- To carry out an effective communication campaign (cards, talks, press, video promotion on social media, individual rewards ...)
- To generate final documents of the results and lessons learned on the project’s website.
- To promote local and international synergies that give continuity to our work in the field.
If we reach the optimal budget of 7707 euros, in addition to the above, we will:
- Recover part of the investment made on trips to disseminate the project.
- Increase the amount of some materials and provide new materials for the workshops.
- Charge some minimum fees for our professional activity.
If these objectives are achieved, we will focus on developing the main points of the project:
- To improve the self-confidence and to develop critical thinking skills of a sector of the population of Chermaitre, through shared learning during the execution of the different artistic workshops.
- To promote the local economy through art and cultural identity.
- To strengthen the local and international synergies found, to give continuity and support to the local economy project and the potential talent detected.
Team and experience
ReplanteART is composed of a group of active and restless young professionals who believe that small changes can lead to greater achieving greater goals. We are united by our strong friendship, our shared core values and social concerns, and our strong and harmonious work ethic.
Our training and experience is in various sectors, such as economics, architecture, art, communication, science, business administration, and international cooperation. Individually, we have worked in many countries including Morocco, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Guinea, India, USA and China. Our multidisciplinary and cultural diversity continuously enriches us a group.
Field Team:
Our field team responsible for conducting the workshops is composed of Maria and Natalia, who have worked together in Indonesia in 2015, in the context of an international program of art and culture, to which they were invited. Through this working relationship, they realized they formed a great tandem, with shared concerns and differences that complement each other.
Roger will be on the ground for the first two weeks of the project to conduct a solar cooking workshop. He has played a key role in creating a strong bond between ReplanteART and the Vassar Haiti Project (VHP). He has met on numerous occasions with VHP founders and directors, Lila and Andrew Meade, with whom he has established a very good relationship. Also, being from Haiti, Roger has been instrumental in setting realistic goals and expectations of Haiti for the team.
Roger and Maria traveled together to Haiti in 2013, a trip from which the seed of ReplanteART was “planted”.
Counterpart (support NGO):
Vassar Haiti Project (VHP): Vassar Haiti Project is a small NGO based in New York, which will support for the project. Lila and Andrew Meade are its directors and co-founders. They have shown great enthusiasm and support from day one, and have shared with us their deep knowledge and expertise, acquired over six years of experience in working in Chairmaitre. VHP also has a vast network of youth community of current students and alumni from Vassar College, who support the work through their volunteering efforts, both in organizing and fundraising events. More information on VHP and its projects can be found on their website: http://www.thehaitiproject.org/
Support Team
The ReplanteArt support team is composed of Pablo, Victor and Pilar. They have worked tirelessly on various aspects of the project, both from the creative and technical sides. Pablo and Victor both studied Economics.