1. Who We Are
SAKALA is not a concept or a business plan waiting for funding. It is a running operation. Ten active sites. 160 youth farming right now. Moringa nurseries at 8 of those 10 sites. Cassava, masketi, fruit trees, and medicinal plants across the network. Dan built this from the ground in Cite Soleil and scaled it across the country. Wesley built the systems to make it sustainable.
2. The Connection
This isn't a cold pitch. Dan and Carolyn have a relationship built on years of shared commitment to Haiti's children. Dan has stayed at Carolyn's home in Boston. They've talked about what works and what doesn't in Haitian education and development. They've seen each other's operations up close.
Summits and SAKALA share the same belief: that Haitian kids deserve world-class opportunity, built by Haitian hands, sustained by Haitian effort. Summits does this through education. SAKALA does this through agriculture and cooperative economics. This proposal connects those two missions in the most practical way possible.
3. The Opportunity
Summits Education operates 39-42 schools in Haiti's Central Plateau, serving over 10,000 students. Through the partnership with Mary's Meals, 98% of those students receive a daily meal. That meal program is one of the most effective in Haiti.
But the ground is shifting. The Haitian government has mandated local food sourcing for school meal programs:
| Deadline | Requirement | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 50% of school meal ingredients sourced locally | This year |
| 2030 | 100% of school meal ingredients sourced locally | 4 years away |
This mandate is an opportunity, not a burden. It means the meal program that already works can now also create Haitian jobs, support Haitian farmers, and circulate money within Haitian communities. But it requires a local supply chain that can deliver quality produce at scale, reliably, to the Central Plateau.
4. What We Grow
| Product | School Meal Use | Nutritional Value | SAKALA Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moringa powder/leaf | Added to porridge, rice, soups | Protein, iron, calcium, vitamins A & C | Active (8 sites) |
| Cassava | Boiled, fried, or as flour | Carbohydrates, energy | Active |
| Mamba (peanut butter) | Spread, sauce, direct consumption | Protein, healthy fats | Production ready |
| Pigeon peas | Rice and peas, stews | Protein, fiber, iron | Growing |
| Mango / avocado | Fresh fruit, dessert | Vitamins, healthy fats | Nursery stage |
| Seasonal vegetables | Soups, sauces, sides | Micronutrients, fiber | Seasonal rotation |
5. Central Plateau Alignment
Summits' 39-42 schools are concentrated in Haiti's Central Plateau. SAKALA currently operates across 7 of Haiti's 10 departments, with active sites in Nord, Artibonite, Ouest, Sud, and beyond.
| SAKALA Site | Department | Youth | Primary Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Bassin | Nord | 15 | Moringa nursery |
| Quartier-Morin | Nord | 20 | Moringa nursery |
| Milot / Fedanoir | Nord | 10 | Moringa nursery (school partner) |
| Grande Riviere du Nord / Bonamy | Nord | 20 | Moringa nursery |
| Limonade / Bois de Lance | Nord | 10 | Moringa nursery |
| Plaine du Nord / OZONE | Nord | 10 | Moringa nursery |
| Limonade / SONJE AYITI | Nord | 30 | Medicinal plants |
| Cite Soleil / SAKALA HQ | Ouest | 25 | Moringa nursery |
| Cite Soleil / Sarthe | Ouest | 10 | Moringa nursery |
| Pestel | Grand'Anse | 10 | Community school partner |
The Central Plateau is within reach of SAKALA's existing network. For a Summits supply partnership, SAKALA would activate a dedicated Central Plateau production site, staffed by local youth, growing the specific crops needed for school meals. This is not starting from scratch. It is extending a proven model into the geography where Summits operates.
6. The Pilot
We are not asking Summits to overhaul its meal program. We are asking for a pilot: SAKALA supplies locally grown produce to 5-10 Summits schools for one growing season. We track quality, cost, reliability, and student health outcomes together. If it works, we scale. If something needs adjustment, we adjust.
| Pilot Metric | What We Track | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery reliability | % of scheduled deliveries completed on time | Schools cannot run out of food |
| Product quality | Kitchen staff feedback, spoilage rate | Kids must want to eat the food |
| Cost per meal | SAKALA supply cost vs. current sourcing cost | Must be competitive or better |
| Nutritional value | Moringa and protein integration into meals | Local sourcing should improve nutrition, not just check a box |
| Student attendance | Attendance trends at pilot vs. non-pilot schools | Better meals = better attendance = better education outcomes |
| Youth employment | Number of SAKALA youth employed for pilot production | The supply chain creates jobs for Haitian young people |
7. The Ask
Not a grant. Not a donation. Not an investment. A supply relationship. Farmer sells to school. Students eat Haitian food grown by Haitian youth. The mandate gets met. The meal program gets stronger.
If the pilot works, SAKALA becomes a permanent local supplier for Summits' school meal program. That means:
- Mandate compliance: 50% local by 2026, 100% by 2030. Solved.
- Youth employment: Every meal served creates agricultural jobs for Haitian young people.
- Nutritional improvement: Moringa alone adds more protein, iron, and vitamins than most imported alternatives.
- Economic circulation: Money spent on meals stays in Haiti instead of leaving the country.
- Sustainability: Cooperative-owned farms don't disappear when a grant cycle ends.
8. The Full Picture
SAKALA grows food, processes it, and sells to the Haitian diaspora and local markets. Site 0 is self-sustaining without any institutional buyer.
| Metric | SAKALA Standalone (Site 0) |
|---|---|
| Annual Revenue | $59,000 - $90,000 |
| Youth Employed | 25 |
| Market | Local + diaspora subscription |
| External Funding Required | $0 |
| Status | Self-sustaining |
39-42 schools. 10,000 students. Haiti mandates 50% local sourcing by 2026, 100% by 2030. SAKALA becomes the local supplier for Summits' Mary's Meals feeding program.
| Metric | Without Summits | With Summits |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Revenue (Site 0) | $59K - $90K | $159K - $390K |
| Revenue from Summits Alone | $0 | $100K - $300K/yr |
| Pilot Scope | N/A | 5-10 schools, scaling to full network |
| Franchise Expansion (via Summits donors) | $0 | Paul English / Kayak.com donor network funds Central Plateau atoms |
| Summits Academy Integration | N/A | Living entrepreneurship curriculum for college prep students |
9. Summits Academy
Summits is building something new: Summits Academy, a college prep school designed to prepare Haiti's best students for university and beyond. SAKALA sees a secondary opportunity here that goes beyond meal supply.
What if Summits Academy students didn't just learn about cooperatives in a textbook? What if they participated in one?
This is a Year 2 conversation, not a Day 1 ask. But the alignment is worth noting: Summits Academy wants to prepare students for the real economy. SAKALA is a piece of the real economy that those students can touch, measure, and help build.
| Academy Integration | What Students Learn |
|---|---|
| Cooperative governance | Democratic decision-making, member ownership, one-person-one-vote |
| Agricultural science | Moringa cultivation, soil management, crop rotation, composting (SOIL partnership) |
| Financial literacy | Revenue, cost of goods, margins, reinvestment, patronage dividends |
| Supply chain management | Production scheduling, quality control, delivery logistics, customer relationships |
| Community impact measurement | Tracking jobs created, meals served, nutritional outcomes, economic circulation |
Haiti says those meals must be locally sourced.
SAKALA is your local supply chain.
We would love to talk. Dan will call.
Daniel Tillias — Co-Founder & Board Member, SAKALA
Wesley Bertil — BARSS LLC
info@summits.org | 617-642-2172