“He had a gift for academic pursuits, but Haiti ensured that his taste for them would be limited.” ~ Tracy Kidder, describing Paul Farmer in Mountains Beyond Mountains
As a college sophomore in an introductory sociology course, I read Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder’s biography of Paul Farmer–a medical doctor, anthropologist, and dedicated advocate for the world’s poor. The book reaffirmed my desire to use the skills and knowledge I was gaining in academia to address inequities in the world. I kept the above quote near my desk, waiting to discover “my Haiti.” I wanted to find something that would send me outside the classroom, and like Farmer, limit my taste for purely academic pursuits. Little did I know that I would quite literally find Haiti. Through an unexpected series of events, I developed connections with Haiti and with Haitians that led me to design a post-graduation plan to work in Haiti.
With the support of a Compton Mentor Fellowship, I spent 2008-2009 working on a project to combat deforestation in Haiti through the introduction of alternative fuels. With 98 percent of its land deforested, Haiti suffers severe soil erosion, which limits the nation’s ability to sustain sufficient agricultural production to meet its needs. Much of the current deforestation is the result of harvesting trees to burn as charcoal. As part of my fellowhsip, I helped implement a project to plant jatropha trees, which produce oil-filled seeds that can be processed into biofuels. By offering a fuel source that is not dependent on destroying the tree itself, jatropha trees could provide both forestation and fuel. In addition, jatropha biofuels can be burned in efficient, clean-burning stoves, which could revolutionize life for many Haitians, particularly women and children, who currently cook over highly polluting charcoal stoves.
As part of my project, I wanted to carefully document my experiences, including both the technical aspects of biofuel production and the cultural aspects of daily life in Haiti. This blog provides one outlet for my writing, which I hope illustrates the interconnected nature of environmental, economic, and healthcare initiatives. In addition, I hope my writing is accessible to a wide audience, touching on stories of individual people and specific places that are struggling with these broader issues.
I am currently attending grad school at Indiana University, but I remain in close contact with my Haitian friends and continue to support the biofuels/reforestation project. More details about the project, which has grown and evolved over the past two years, are available at www.imaginehaitian.org.
