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House Feature

A Non-Profit Uses Compressed Earth Blocks to Build Happy Homes in Haiti 

In May 2021, Ryan Runge, owner of AECT (Advanced Earthen Construction Technologies) near San Antonio, Texas, received a phone call that intrigued him. One of the BP714 compressed earth block machines that his company had manufactured needed maintenance. The machine, which uses hand-operated levers to produce interlocking, holey CEBs (compressed-earth blocks), was in Haiti. Owned by the non-profit organization Welcome Home Haiti (WHH), which is in the northern part of the country a short distance from Cap-Haitien, local workers had used the machine to manufacture 100,000 blocks for 130 new homes. 

By Camille LeFevre, Rise Writer
7 min read
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CEB Machine WHH
CEB Machine. Photo Credit: Welcome Home Haiti

Runge headed down to Haiti and helped the workers in the CEB facility "perform some of the 100,000-block maintenance actions," he wrote on his blog. Runge also "got the machine running like a clock again, producing over 1,000 blocks per day!" 

"The CEB plant is especially valuable because decent building materials are not readily available on the island," he wrote. "With their BP714 machine, WHH and crew [can] produce enough fireproof, hurricane-proof, and earthquake-proof CEBs to build a house every week." 

Steve Hari, WHH's co-founder, and field director, first visited the area with his son Tyler in 1999 on a mission trip through their church. They quickly realized the need for decent housing. "The community's spiritual, medical, and educational needs were met," Hari says, as the church had helped fund and build worship areas, a health facility, and a school. 

Old and New Homes WHH
Old (Left) and New (Right) Home Comparison. Photo Credit: Welcome Home Haiti

"But most families went home every night to structures made of sticks and mud—sometimes ten people crowded into a room the size of the master bath in our house in the States. The need for safe, secure, and sanitary housing was obvious." 

In 2010, Hari helped establish the WHH ministry. The organization's goal was to build one home per year for a Haitian family. Instead, using CEB technology, WHH has been averaging one house a month since 2010. "Now, we're ready to do 50 a year," Hari added. 

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CEB House Exterior WHH
CEB House Exterior. Photo Credit: Welcome Home Haiti

WHH constructed the first 50 WHH homes with traditional cement blocks, Hari says. "Then I realized how high unemployment is here. I began looking for another way to provide jobs. Through a Google search, I found Ryan's compressed earth-block machines." WHH bought the BP714 and began employing local men to make the compressed-earth blocks and construct the homes. 

"Each house we build puts 100 Haitian men to work," Hari says. "So, we're also feeding 100 Haitian families, as the men make blocks every day." 

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CEB House Interior WHH
CEB House Interior. Photo Credit: Welcome Home Haiti

What Is Best The Best Soil Mix for Compressed Earth Blocks?

The formula used by Welcome Home Haiti is 60% dirt, 30% sand, and 10% cement. "We did a lot of testing. The sand is like the bones, and the clay is like the muscle. You have to have the right balance in the block to make it the strongest. We made different batches to see which one was the strongest."

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Presendieu Family House WHH
Presendieu Family House. Photo Credit: Welcome Home Haiti

The homes have wood shutters and doors made by local craftspeople. "We buy from local businesses as much as we can," Hari says. Some of the homes have vinyl windows made by a small business in a nearby town.

For Roudeline and Weegtchen, moving into a WHH home has escalated their family's quality of life. "I'm working, and when I get home, my wife and kids are happy," Weegtchen says. "My wife has hope because she knows I'm doing something good. And that is a big change in my life."

"There are so many people who have this same need," he adds. "This is such a good thing. We say 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.'"  

Article By

Camille LeFevre

Camille LeFevre is an architecture and design writer based in the Twin Cities.

Camille LeFevre