PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Executives Without Borders (ExecWB), in partnership with CSS International Holdings, Inc. and Haiti Recycling, will officially launch Ramase Lajan, a “cash for recyclables” program July 23 – 24 at Wahoo Bay Beach Resort just outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The event invites Haitian business leaders, NGOs and donors to learn about the plastic recycling program designed to spur sustainable jobs with significant incomes and remove the plastic from Haiti’s otherwise beautiful landscape and beaches improving health conditions.
A commercial recycling program did not exist in Haiti prior to Ramase Lajan contributing to the unprecedented amount of plastic that fill the streets and clog the canals of Haiti. This considerably reduces sanitary conditions for citizens as bacteria infected water overflows from heavy rains and spreads into communities. Ramase Lajan, which means “Picking Up Money,” will expand the collection and harvesting of plastic to create permanent jobs with substantial incomes through a network of independently owned and operated neighborhood collection centers. Each collection center will create an estimated 100 or more new jobs. This initiative will ultimately drive investment in Haiti to build factories that turn recycled plastics into products for domestic use and export.
Each collection center is designed as a self-contained storefront ideal for entrepreneurs. For a one-time cost of $18,000.00, an expense paid by sponsors, franchisees are provided with everything needed to establish a permanent business including: a manually operated compactor, collection sacks, uniforms, safety gear, and signage, as well as extensive operational and business training. These self-contained storefronts require no electricity, are built to last and are easily transportable.
“We designed this program to be a sustainable and realistic solution for increasing employment and improving public health in Haiti,” said Jason Burger, director of CSS International Holdings, Inc. and CSS Haiti S.A. “Because Haiti is a populous country with little to no job opportunities, we wanted the program to create the kinds of jobs that allows individuals to become entrepreneurs in a self-directed business that is flexible in location and time. Participants in the Ramase Lajan program will easily earn a middle class income.”
Sponsors, such as Samaritan’s Purse, have already shown their support through capital investments that have helped to build collection centers and promote livelihoods through job creation. Organizers will educate over 1,000 prominent government, business and nonprofit leaders of the benefits of the Ramase Lajan program at this weekend’s launch event. For more information regarding Ramase Lajan, its impact and how you can get involved, visit www.haitirecycling.org.
