Extraction-Proof Climate Resilience:
Cooperative Green Infrastructure for Haiti

3.1 Haiti's Climate Vulnerability

Haiti is one of the most climate-vulnerable nations on Earth. The Global Climate Risk Index has consistently ranked Haiti in the top 5 most affected countries. Between 2000 and 2024, Haiti experienced 57 climate-related disasters including hurricanes, floods, droughts, and landslides. Climate loss and damage in Haiti does not operate in isolation... it compounds pre-existing crises of deforestation, food insecurity, displacement, and institutional collapse.

3.2 The Compounding Crisis

Climate events do not simply destroy... they compound. Each hurricane destroys livelihoods that were never rebuilt from the last one. Each drought pushes families further into food insecurity because there is no agricultural buffer. Each flood displaces communities that have no infrastructure to return to. The cycle is accelerating:

• Deforestation → Erosion → Flooding: With <1% forest cover, Haiti has virtually no natural flood defense. Every rainstorm becomes a disaster. Topsoil loss has reduced agricultural productivity by an estimated 30-50% over 30 years.
• Charcoal → Deforestation → Climate Vulnerability: 946,500 metric tons of wood charcoal produced annually, cutting 53,000 hectares while only 2,000 are replanted. Net loss: 51,000 hectares per year. The $392 million charcoal market is simultaneously the second-largest value chain and the primary driver of environmental collapse.
• Food Import Dependency → Climate-Shock Vulnerability: With 80% of food imported, any supply chain disruption (hurricane damage to ports, international price spikes, shipping disruptions) immediately translates to food crisis. Haiti has no buffer.
• USAID Withdrawal: In early 2026, the US government cut 83% of USAID programs in Haiti, including food assistance, health services, and disaster response. The safety net, already inadequate, has been removed.

3.3 Why Loss and Damage, Not Just Adaptation

The FRLD exists to address loss and damage that goes beyond what adaptation can prevent. Haiti's situation exemplifies this distinction:

4.1 The SAKALA Franchise Model

SAKALA deploys a cooperative franchise model: 344 identical "atom" sites across 7 departments, each operated by 10 youth employees under community cooperative ownership. Each atom integrates 12 green components into a single, self-reinforcing system. The franchise model enables rapid replication... once the first atom is proven (Site 0, Cite Soleil), the template deploys identically at each subsequent site.

4.2 The 12 Green Components

Each franchise atom integrates the following climate-responsive interventions:

4.3 Phased Deployment

Geographic Distribution

6.1 Climate Vulnerability Assessment

Haiti's climate vulnerability is structural, not episodic. The Global Climate Risk Index (Germanwatch) has ranked Haiti in the top 5 most climate-affected countries for the past two decades. The ND-GAIN Country Index ranks Haiti 173rd out of 185 countries on climate readiness. Haiti's vulnerability score is driven by:

• Exposure: Located in the Atlantic hurricane belt. Average 2-3 major climate events per year. Sea level rise directly threatens coastal communities including Cite Soleil (300,000 residents at or below sea level).
• Sensitivity: 98% deforestation eliminates natural buffer against flooding, erosion, and landslides. 80% food import dependency means any supply chain disruption creates immediate food crisis. 61.5% of population has no electricity... no ability to refrigerate food, pump water, or communicate during disasters.
• Adaptive Capacity: Near-zero. Government institutions have largely collapsed. USAID (historically the largest bilateral donor) cut 83% of programs in early 2026. No private sector resilience infrastructure. Community organizations like SAKALA are the only functioning adaptive capacity.

6.2 Loss and Damage Already Incurred

Haiti has already incurred catastrophic climate-related loss and damage that cannot be addressed by adaptation alone:

6.3 How SAKALA Addresses Loss and Damage

SAKALA's intervention addresses both the immediate impacts and the structural drivers of climate loss and damage:

• Rebuilding destroyed natural capital: 172 hectares of reforestation directly reverses deforestation-driven loss. Bamboo phytoremediation restores degraded and contaminated soils.
• Breaking the deforestation-climate cycle: Zero-deforestation charcoal stops the single largest driver of Haiti's environmental collapse. Redirecting the $392M charcoal market from wood to bamboo/elephant grass is the most impactful single climate intervention available in Haiti.
• Building distributed resilience: 344 independent franchise nodes means no single point of failure. When a hurricane hits one department, the other 6 continue operating. This is fundamentally different from centralized infrastructure that collapses entirely.
• Creating permanent adaptive capacity: 3,440 trained green workers, community-owned infrastructure, and self-sustaining revenue mean the climate resilience does not disappear when the grant ends. The cooperative structure ensures perpetual community ownership.

7.1 Budget Summary

7.2 Budget by Phase

7.3 Cost Efficiency

8.1 Financial Sustainability

SAKALA's cooperative franchise model is designed for financial self-sufficiency. FRLD funds cover the capital expenditure of deploying 344 franchise atoms. Once deployed, each atom generates revenue from multiple streams that exceed operating costs by Month 5 of its individual operation:

8.2 Institutional Sustainability

• Cooperative ownership: Each franchise is owned by its workers and the community from Day 1. There is no external entity to withdraw. The community IS the institution.
• Distributed architecture: 344 independent nodes means no single point of failure. If one franchise fails, 343 continue. If one department is hit by a hurricane, the other 6 keep operating.
• Knowledge transfer: The training and certification program creates 3,440 skilled workers who can maintain, repair, and replicate the systems independently of SAKALA central coordination.
• Revenue diversification: Seven revenue streams mean no dependence on any single market, buyer, or funding source.

8.3 Exit Strategy

FRLD funding exits cleanly at Month 36. By that point:

• All 344 atoms are operational and revenue-positive
• All 3,440 youth are employed and certified
• Carbon credit pipeline is generating annual revenue
• Charcoal supply chain is commercially viable
• Cooperative governance structures are established and functioning
• No ongoing external funding is required

9.1 Data Collection

Primary Platform: KoboToolbox (open-source, offline-capable, used by UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO)

Real-time data collection at every franchise site. Offline-first design means data is captured even when connectivity is unavailable (critical for rural Haiti). Data syncs to central server when connection is restored.

9.2 Key Performance Indicators

9.3 Reporting Schedule

• Monthly: KoboToolbox dashboard (automated, real-time)
• Quarterly: Narrative + financial report to FRLD secretariat
• Annual: Comprehensive progress report with third-party audit
• Mid-term (Month 18): Independent mid-term evaluation
• Final (Month 36): Independent final evaluation + sustainability assessment

9.4 Carbon Monitoring

Carbon sequestration is measured using standard ARR (Afforestation, Reforestation, Revegetation) and CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal) methodologies. Biochar carbon content is measured via lab analysis (fixed carbon percentage). All carbon claims are verified by accredited third-party auditors under Verra VCS or Gold Standard protocols. Registration costs are included in the budget (Line 6).

10.1 The Clean Slate Argument

Haiti presents the strongest possible additionality case for climate finance. The country has been so thoroughly stripped of infrastructure, natural capital, and institutional capacity that literally every intervention creates something new. There is no existing system being displaced, upgraded, or supplemented. Every watt of solar is additional. Every hectare of reforestation is additional. Every tonne of CO2 sequestered is additional.

10.2 Additionality Tests

10.3 No Displacement Risk

SAKALA's zero-deforestation charcoal does not displace existing charcoal producers... it recruits them. The $392M wood charcoal market is supplied by informal operators with zero fixed capital. SAKALA offers them a higher-value supply chain (bamboo burns hotter, cleaner, and commands premium pricing) without destroying their livelihoods. This is a transition, not a displacement.

12.1 FRLD Alignment

12.2 National Priority Alignment

A.1 Haiti Climate Data

• Germanwatch, Global Climate Risk Index (2000-2024): Haiti ranked top 5 consistently.
• ND-GAIN Country Index: Haiti ranked 173rd of 185 on climate readiness.
• World Bank: Haiti electricity access rate 38.5% (2022).
• FAO: Haiti forest cover <1% primary forest; 51,000 hectares net deforestation per year.
• WFP: 5.7 million Haitians food insecure (IPC Phase 3+), as of Q1 2026.
• IOM DTM: 1.4 million internally displaced persons (as of March 2026).
• USAID: 83% of Haiti programs cut (January-March 2026).

A.2 Bamboo Carbon Sequestration References

• Nath, A.J. et al. (2015). "Managing woody bamboos for carbon farming and carbon trading." Global Ecology and Conservation, 3, 654-663. Sequestration rate: 12-70 tCO2/ha/yr depending on species and management.
• Yiping, L. et al. (2010). "Bamboo and Climate Change Mitigation." INBAR Technical Report No. 32.
• Biochar CDR: 87% of all carbon dioxide removal deliveries in 2023. Source: CDR.fyi annual report.

A.3 SAKALA Organizational History

• Founded: ~2003, Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
• EIN: 83-3881370 (501(c)(3) status)
• Co-Founder & Board Member: Daniel Tillias
• Programs: Jaden Tap Tap (urban agriculture), FatraKa (recycling/circular economy), Job Power Initiative (youth employment), Ekselans! (education), Sports as Peacebuilding
• Current reach: ~300+ direct beneficiaries annually
• 23+ years of uninterrupted operations in one of the most challenging environments in the Western Hemisphere

A.4 Contact Information