Soley Leve is a philosophy and movement created by several community leaders in Cité Soleil a year ago. Its mission is to teach the citizens of Haïti to take action, to develop their solidarity and become again the masters of their own destiny. Soley Leve is not an organization, or an NGO, or a project – all these words have been spoiled by too many years of heavy-handed and failed intervention in Cite Soleil by NGOs and the UN. Soley Leve is based on konbit. Haiti has a strong tradition of labor exchange: in the countryside, when a task is too great for one farmer, he will call a konbit, and his neighbors will come and help him free of charge. In Haiti’s largest slum, people have taken this rural seed and planted it in an urban environment: when a person or neighborhood in Cité Soleil runs into a challenge that is too hard for them, they call for a konbit.

During the last year many of Cité Soleils neighborhoods have experienced change. Because of konbits, the streets became cleaner, the walls were painted and sprayed with beautiful paintings. All of that strengthened the communities and has brought back the solidarity and the confidence of the people. As a result violence and danger – words that Cité Soleil was known for – has decreased severely. Just recently this area of Port-au-Prince is no longer flagged as a red zone.

To celebrate this year of success, we invite you to come today, the 25th of June to an event organized by the supporters of the Soley Leve movement. Meet the people, exchange ideas and experience the change of Cité Soleil yourself.

Very important: watch the trailer and share it!
https://vimeo.com/44534636

Whoa!!!

This is 100 carts before the horse.

Cite Soleil is nothing to celebrate.

I would hope they would gather enmasse to protest the lack of infrastrcuture vs celebrating not having it.

gunner - 25 June 2012 09:15 AM

Whoa!!!

This is 100 carts before the horse.

Cite Soleil is nothing to celebrate.

I would hope they would gather enmasse to protest the lack of infrastrcuture vs celebrating not having it.

please leave it to the people of Cité Soleil if they want to celebrate or not. They are not celebrating what they don't have, but the strength they have.
Leave your negative comments for yourself. I am sure you haven't been in Cité Soleil in the past year.

gunner - 25 June 2012 09:15 AM

Whoa!!!

This is 100 carts before the horse.

Cite Soleil is nothing to celebrate.

I would hope they would gather enmasse to protest the lack of infrastrcuture vs celebrating not having it.

GUNNER, read, listen, watch, comprehend, process, count to 10....before commenting.

Jesus Christ - 25 June 2012 10:05 AM

gunner - 25 June 2012 09:15 AM

Whoa!!!

This is 100 carts before the horse.

Cite Soleil is nothing to celebrate.

I would hope they would gather enmasse to protest the lack of infrastrcuture vs celebrating not having it.

GUNNER, read, listen, watch, comprehend, process, count to 10....before commenting.

Both of you, I have read hundreds of reports on Cite Soleil over the last 20 years that brag about its positive "change".

So where is it?

It should be the shinging city on the hill if all of them were true.

I suggest both of you spend some time at a hospital in Cite Soleil for a week or so and then report back on how great it is.

We'll see what tune you're singing at that point.

gunner - 25 June 2012 10:19 AM

Jesus Christ - 25 June 2012 10:05 AM

gunner - 25 June 2012 09:15 AM

Whoa!!!

This is 100 carts before the horse.

Cite Soleil is nothing to celebrate.

I would hope they would gather en to protest the lack of infrastrcuture vs celebrating not having it.

GUNNER, read, listen, watch, comprehend, process, count to 10....before commenting.

Both of you, I have read hundreds of reports on Cite Soleil over the last 20 years that brag about its positive "change".

So where is it?

It should be the shinging city on the hill if all of them were true.

I suggest both of you spend some time at a hospital in Cite Soleil for a week or so and then report back on how great it is.

We'll see what tune you're singing at that point.

and what is gathering "en masse" to protest going to achieve?????

forget the hundreds of reports from the past 20 years....watch the video...so you will at least know what you are talking about.

read my above advice in blue...and follow it.

Have you watched the video?

Of course there never has been positive change in Cité Soleil before, because it never came from the people. This time its different. And if you don't believe it, that's fine. What counts is that people of Cité Soleil believe in it and have others supporting them (which they already have - it does not have to be you!). Have a good day.

And I have spend a lot of time in Cité Soleil during the last two months and a good friend of mine from the United States even lives there.

Soley Leve is not an organization, or an NGO, or a project – all these words have been spoiled by too many years of heavy-handed and failed intervention in Cite Soleil by NGOs and the UN.

Currently the Lakay de Soley Leve team is planning a prototype building project in Southern California. The prototype structure will represent appropriate construction methods and materials for a home in Haiti. This structure will then be replicated in Cite Soleil through community building and training workshops. The prototype is being designed in collaboration with the citizens of Cite Soleil. The structure will be researched and constructed by architects, natural builders and volunteers here in the US. When the prototype construction has reached a sufficient level of success and completion, the training teams will go to Cite Soleil (1-3 month volunteer programs) to facilitate the natural building workshops. A similar variation of this project will possibly be replicated in Tijuana, Mexico in partnership with 4 Walls International.

The project is being lead by one of the worlds most well-respected permaculture gurus Larry Santoyo, EarthFlow Design Works (http://www.earthflow.com). Treekaya (http://www.treekaya.org) is working together with a handful of partner organizations and freelance individuals to support the community planning and architectural design components of this grassroots movement.

This group of local leaders offers Cite Soleil a spark of optimism; providing the opportunity to come together as both local and global community around several simple goals… LIFE, LOVE & HAPPINESS.

Beginning on May 1, 2011 the light began to shine once again in the City of Sun. A gentleman named Philippe Couture flew half-way around the world (Hong Kong) to take 3 local young leaders (Chrisnor, James and Rony) to a Permaculture Design Course being offered in Port-au-Prince (The Love & Haiti Project / with Larry Santoyo). In this moment a new story for Cite Soleil began. Equipped with the holistic design principles of permaculture, these young leaders have been given the hope and knowledge to begin transforming their community. The natural design systems of permaculture have provided them with the necessary tools to transition their community from an environment of fear, danger and struggle… to a natural ecosystem of self-sufficiency, health and opportunity.

Many local leaders have arisen to help develop and coordinate this project. As foreigners, the role of Treekaya is only to serve in the facilitation of community discussion, offer architectural design knowledge and provide natural building training.

One of the proposed preliminary steps is to create a neighborhood cooking and bathing network around a church in the middle of the community that collapsed during the earthquake.

http://treekaya.wordpress.com/education/soleyleve/

I understand that you may want to distance yourself because of NGOs' poor performance so far, but being disingenuous about your identity (and perhaps motives) will not make your project look better. Buzzwords and very loose definitions of Haitian concepts aren't fooling anyone either. Life, love and happiness? In Cite Soleil, really?

afalifice - 25 June 2012 10:26 AM

Have you watched the video?

Of course there never has been positive change in Cité Soleil before, because it never came from the people. This time its different. And if you don't believe it, that's fine. What counts is that people of Cité Soleil believe in it and have others supporting them (which they already have - it does not have to be you!). Have a good day.

And I have spend a lot of time in Cité Soleil during the last two months and a good friend of mine from the United States even lives there.

Look. The video is very encouraging and community involvlement is a great thing.

I am not disputing that.

But you need to spend some time reading up on Doctors Without Border's and St Catherine's Hospital to understand the gravity of the problem in Cite Soleil.

It is a very grave situation despinte tiny progress.

I'll be the first one to admit I am no expert on Cite Soleil but in my trips to Haiti I have been to Cite Soleil. The Cite Soleil that I saw at those times [within the last two years with the most recent visit within the last four months] looked nothing like the images in the video. Having said that, if this movement is making the types of positive changes in the areas of cleaning up the streets and making what is there more beautiful then I support what they are doing. I was very encouraged by what I saw and heard in the video. Yes, there are needs with infrastructure, housing, etc. but the people are taking the opportunity to do what they can with what they have in a positive way. Hopefully, those in a position to help address the other issues will be impressed by this movement to clean up and take pride in Cite Soleil and be moved to start to work on the big issues.

i just saw the video. i must say, i felt goose bumps.

moun yo pòv, mè yo pwòp!!!! if cnn was presenting this video, it would show people drinking from the rgiòl; it would show dirty, naked children with snot running from their noses; it would show kids lapping the last bit of dry milk from women with deflated breasts.

i feel goose bumps.

i'm happy they are celebrating. these people want a change and they are starting with themselves.

my favorite part of the video: "n'ap pwan kontrol lavi nou"

i just wish i could help...

saintard - 25 June 2012 01:06 PM

I'll be the first one to admit I am no expert on Cite Soleil but in my trips to Haiti I have been to Cite Soleil. The Cite Soleil that I saw at those times [within the last two years with the most recent visit within the last four months] looked nothing like the images in the video. Having said that, if this movement is making the types of positive changes in the areas of cleaning up the streets and making what is there more beautiful then I support what they are doing. I was very encouraged by what I saw and heard in the video. Yes, there are needs with infrastructure, housing, etc. but the people are taking the opportunity to do what they can with what they have in a positive way. Hopefully, those in a position to help address the other issues will be impressed by this movement to clean up and take pride in Cite Soleil and be moved to start to work on the big issues.

That's an excellent post.

The video is promoting community involvement, and I fully support that!

But make no mistake, living in Cite Soleil, and most major cities in Haiti, is a living hell for 85%+ of that population.

A one time cleanup is great buy whose picking up the trash going forward?

Where is it being dumped etc?

Cite Soleil is where the porta potties of PauP are dumped onto open ground.

Cite Soleil is where the garbage that is picked up in PauP is dumped.

No community involvement will change that without focusing on the issue.

Roving gangs remain.

Things have improved to a limited extent.

But Cite Soleil is many years away from being a livable city for anybody whose had exposure to infrastructure.