RCDZL, Ravine Des Roches

A movement inside of Ravine des Roches to address the community's lack of roads and infrastructure through volunteer labor and community contributions.

Ravine des Roches is a community in the commune of Limbe that lies in a mountainous area with a large ravine cutting across it. Like many rural communities like it, infrastructure is one of its greatest challenges, with no decent road to connect its residents with National Highway #1 and the markets, schools, and livelihood possibilities beyond. The rocky ravine from which the community gets its name also posed a great obstacle to people in the community. 

To address this, a group of community leaders in Ravine des Roches decided to form an initiative called RCDZL (Community Assembly for the Development of the Zone of Limbe) and recruited other local organizations and farmer's cooperatives to contribute to building a road. They used the traditional Haitian labor exchange called konbit to rally the population, and slowly but surely constructed a road loading into their community. The road was so well-built that a Diaspora from the community felt confident enough to invest in building a community clinic in Ravine des Roches, thanks to the access given by this road. RCDZL is still mobilizing to continue the road and to address the problem of the ravine, all through community mobilization.