The Crisis
In 1950, Haiti was 50% forested. Today, less than 1% of primary forest remains. The single largest driver: charcoal production. 94% of Haitians cook with wood charcoal. 946,500 metric tons are produced annually. 53,000 hectares of trees are cut every year for charcoal... while only 2,000 hectares are replanted. The net loss: 51,000 hectares per year.
This is not a poverty problem. It is a $392 million market... the second-largest agricultural value chain in Haiti, contributing ~5% of GDP. Every household in Cité Soleil spends over 50% of income on cooking fuel. The demand is real, permanent, and growing. The supply is destroying the country.
The Solution Is Already Growing
Bambusa vulgaris arrived in Haiti in 1760. It has been naturalizing for 265 years. It grows wild along rivers, roadsides, and wastelands across the country... including the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. It is a clumping species that regenerates after harvest. It produces the highest-quality charcoal of any tropical bamboo species tested.
Nobody in Haiti is harvesting it for charcoal.
| Metric | Wood Charcoal | Bamboo Charcoal |
|---|---|---|
| Source material | Trees (15-30 year growth) | Bamboo (2-3 year regrowth) |
| Absorption rate | 1x (baseline) | 4x |
| Surface area | 1x (baseline) | 10x |
| Burn characteristics | Standard | Hotter, cleaner, less smoke |
| Regrowth after harvest | 15-30 years | 2-4 weeks (new shoots) |
| Deforestation impact | 53,000 ha/year destroyed | Zero trees cut |
| Carbon sequestration | 6.4 tCO2/ha/yr (mature forest) | 12-70 tCO2/ha/yr |
| Soil impact | Erosion after cutting | Phytoremediation (absorbs heavy metals) |
Dual-Track Deployment
Track 1: Harvest Wild Stands (Immediate)
Bambusa vulgaris grows wild across Haiti. Map existing stands within 5-10km of Cité Soleil. Harvest mature culms (3+ years old, already in the ground for decades). Process into charcoal briquettes using simple drum kilns. Sell locally. Revenue starts in weeks, not years.
| Item | Cost | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Survey + mapping of wild stands | $50 | Transport for 2-day survey of river banks, roadsides near PaP |
| Drum kiln (200L) | $150 | Locally fabricated. 12-18 kg charcoal per 2-3 day batch. |
| Manual briquette press | $300 | Locally fabricated lever press. 50-200 briquettes/hour. |
| Machetes + hacksaws (harvest tools) | $30 | 4 machetes, 2 hacksaws, rope for transport |
| Transport (first month) | $75 | Taptap fares for bamboo transport from wild stands to site |
| Packaging (bags, labels) | $45 | Branded "SAKALA Green Charcoal" bags |
| TOTAL STARTUP | $650 | Revenue-generating within 2-4 weeks of investment |
Track 2: Plant Site Grove (Parallel)
Plant Guadua angustifolia and Bambusa vulgaris cuttings directly into the contaminated soil at Site 0 (Cité Soleil HQ, former garbage dump). The bamboo serves three purposes simultaneously:
| Purpose | Mechanism | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Soil remediation | Bamboo absorbs lead, cadmium, arsenic, chromium from contaminated soil through roots. Harvesting removes metals from the site. | Measurable improvement in 3-5 years. Significant cleanup in 10 years. |
| Charcoal production | New culms harvestable for charcoal at Year 2-3. Regrow in 2-4 weeks after harvest. Sustainable annual harvest of 20-25% of grove. | First site-grown charcoal by Year 2. |
| Construction material | Guadua angustifolia produces construction-grade poles at Year 3-5. Structural strength equivalent to steel in tension. | Construction-grade by Year 3-5. |
Economics
Production Model: 5-Person Charcoal Team
| Metric | Conservative | Optimistic |
|---|---|---|
| Team size | 5 | 5 |
| Config | 3 harvesters + 2 kiln operators | Same |
| Daily charcoal output | 40 kg | 50 kg |
| Monthly output (25 days) | 1,000 kg | 1,250 kg |
| Price per kg (briquettes) | $0.75 | $1.00 |
| Monthly revenue | $750 | $1,250 |
| Monthly costs (labor + ops) | ($237) | ($237) |
| Monthly net profit | $513 | $1,013 |
| Annual net profit | $6,156 | $12,156 |
Revenue Comparison: Bamboo Charcoal vs Franchise Atom
| Revenue Stream | Monthly | Annual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Atom (10 youth, all 5 streams) | $2,097 | $25,164 | Moringa, mamba, sauce, eggs, nursery, compost |
| Bamboo charcoal team (5 youth) | $750-1,250 | $9,000-15,000 | Wild harvest + site production |
| COMBINED (15 youth) | $2,847-3,347 | $34,164-40,164 | Site 0 with charcoal stream added |
Environmental Impact
| Metric | Per Year (5-person team) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Bamboo charcoal produced | 12,000-15,000 kg | Replaces equivalent wood charcoal |
| Trees saved | 360-750 | 30-50 trees per ton of bamboo charcoal substituted |
| CO2 avoided (combustion shift) | 36-45 tonnes | ~3 kg CO2 per kg wood charcoal avoided |
| CO2 sequestered (site grove, 0.25 ha) | 3-4 tonnes | At 12 tCO2/ha/yr once grove established |
| Soil heavy metals removed | Measurable | Lead, cadmium, arsenic absorbed by bamboo roots |
| Hectares of deforestation prevented | 0.5-1.0 | Direct substitution effect |
Scale this to 344 franchise sites with charcoal teams: 4,128,000-5,160,000 kg bamboo charcoal/year. 123,000-258,000 trees saved. 12,384-15,480 tonnes CO2 avoided.
Grant & Institutional Alignment
| Funder | Program | Alignment | Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Climate Fund | Haiti Landscape Restoration | Erosion control, reforestation, climate resilience | $22.4M approved |
| GEF LDCF | Haiti Climate Adaptation | Water management, adaptation | $4.5M approved |
| USAID | Haiti Reforestation | Proven bamboo interest (2,000 plants → 40,000+ propagated) | $39M precedent |
| INBAR | Technical Assistance | Haiti NOT a member yet. Jamaica joined 2012 → commercial bamboo industry | Membership TBD |
| VCS/Verra | Carbon Credits | $4-8/tCO2e. EcoPlanet Bamboo (Nicaragua) = first certified. | $150+/ha/yr |
| FAO | Food Security + Agroforestry | Bamboo + moringa intercropping = dual food + climate | Program-dependent |
| Ford Foundation | BUILD Program | Cooperative economics, extraction-proof development | $750K LOI drafted |
What We Need
| Phase | Action | Cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Pilot: 1 drum kiln, 5 youth, wild B. vulgaris harvest near Cité Soleil | $650 | Revenue in 2-4 weeks |
| Phase 2 | Scale: 3 kilns, 15 youth, branded briquettes, local distribution | $2,500 | Month 3-6 |
| Phase 3 | Site grove: 400-600 B. vulgaris + Guadua cuttings planted on contaminated soil | $500 | Year 1 (parallel) |
| Phase 4 | INBAR membership + GCF grant application + carbon credit documentation | $5,000 | Year 1-2 |
| Phase 5 | National scale: replicate across 344 SAKALA franchise sites | $223,600 | Year 2-5 |
Who We Are
Daniel Tillias — CNN Hero 2019. 20 years in Cité Soleil. Founder of SAKALA. Operates 10 active sites with 160 youth across 7 departments. Built Haiti's largest urban garden (Jaden Tap Tap, 1 acre, 500+ growing containers) on a former garbage dump.
Wesley Bertil — BARSS LLC, Delaware. Forensic economist and data analyst. 25 documented cases across 4 continents. Research partners: Sandy Darity (Duke), Thomas Craemer (UConn), Ambassador Louino Volcy (Haiti). CNHRR US Support Committee Secrétariat Technique.
SAKALA International — EIN 83-3881370. 25 sites (10 active, 15 reactivatable). 310 youth. 7 departments. 12 franchise types. 147-document operational playbook. World's first cooperative subscription box (Harvest Box).
Key partner: Bambou Facile / Jupille Facile (PREBHA reforestation program) — existing bamboo infrastructure in Haiti.