All The Necessities Of Home For $4/Day

One of the revolutionary aspects of the private land settlement World Shelters hopes to build in Haiti is the way in which individuals and families can pay for their shelter.  WS co-founder Steven Elias has devised a way for inhabitants to pay rent (for a 10-unit settlement, only $4 a day per TShel2 for the length of the 3-year lease) on their cell phone.  There is no money required to be put down at the beginning as a deposit, but rent must be payed every day and that process can be monitored remotely from the United States.  If an individual does not own a cell phone, one may be easily and cheaply purchased for the sole purpose of making rent payments.  This is an effective way of getting families able to move in to the TShel2s as soon as possible without having to save up money for a deposit.  The $4/day price is also cost effective for single individuals who may not  have a family but would like to share shelter with their friends - find three other friends and the per person cost of living is only one dollar a day.  For shelter that not only protects the residents from natural disasters but also provides electricity, potable water, and a composting toilet, this price is phenomenal.  It allows for and encourages productivity by shifting personal reliance away from the people and agencies in the camps who distribute or sell resources such as clean water to a reliance on the self.  If an individual relies on him/herself to support and pay for the necessities of life, they will be much more motivated to work to provide that support - and will probably find more personal satisfaction while doing it.  Getting people to a point where they can be not only productive but also happy and satisfied with their productivity is our ultimate goal - one that, if enacted on a large enough scale, could help lead Haiti towards a better, healthier, safer, and more prosperous future.