On The Horizon

As OEF looks toward the start of its second decade in the spring, it is tempting to hit “Pause” for a few months to celebrate all that OEF and its partners have accomplished. We certainly believe that we deserve it!

But unfortunately, the challenges that continue to face the island of Eleuthera and the greater Bahamas are simply too great to “rest on our laurels.” Too many people remain hungry. Economic opportunities continue to be scarce. Access to resilient and affordable housing is limited. And hovering over everything is the threat of another devastating storm hitting the country before we are able to recover from the last catastrophic one.

For these and other reasons, the OEF team remains focused on the mission clearly outlined in the Shared Vision years ago. Our recently adopted Strategic Plan 2020-2025 seeks to build on our past successes while continuing to work on some of Eleuthera’s most significant threats: (1) food sovereignty and security, (2) training and (3) sustainable, affordable and resilient housing. In addition, OEF has prioritized continuing the assistance of our Core Partners in their development as independent, self-supporting members of the nonprofit sector and the overall ecosystem of the Eleutheran community along with the creation of a new Campus Master Plan to inform our strategic planning efforts.

Improving Food Sovereignty and Security

In recent years the need to improve The Bahamas’ food sovereignty and security has been a topic of national conversation. After Hurricane Dorian’s devastation in the fall of 2019 and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic, this concern has risen on the national agenda due to the spike in prices for imports and shortages of various supplies given the global demands.

For a number of years now, Bahamians have been wrestling with the implications of not owning certain critical aspects of our economy. In 2017 the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), in a report entitled “Caribbean Region Quarterly Bulletin: Commodities in the Caribbean,” indicated that The Bahamas’ dependence on fossil fuels and food imports “poses risks to economic substantiality and food security.” In 2019, The Bahamas imported nearly $790 million in goods, most of which were food or food-related. Additionally, the IDB report revealed a food import dependency ratio of 0.92, the second highest in the Caribbean. These numbers have only grown worse since Hurricane Dorian and the loss of dozens of farms on the island of Abaco.

To address the impact of unemployment and food insecurity on Eleuthera due to Hurricane Dorian COVID-19, OEF has partnered with The TK Foundation and The Sallingsund Bridge Foundation to construct a one-acre Cravo Cooling House (CCH) on our Rock Sound campus. The CCH, with its ability to control water, sunshine and temperature through its retractable roof system, allows not only for expanded growing seasons but the ability to grow leafy, nutrient-rich vegetables that are currently imported. In time, OEF believes that the produce grown in and food by-products yielded by the CCH throughout the year will significantly enhance the island’s food sovereignty.

Along with the CCH, OEF knows that supporting and training local farmers and promoting home gardens are key components in addressing food insecurity. OEF will continue to share its farming insights and knowledge with local farmers. The CTI Farm will continue to be an “outdoor classroom” and live laboratory open to all interested in learning more about hydroponics, crop rotation, soil replenishment, apiology, food processing and preparation and other important agricultural techniques and best practices.

In the next phase of this project, we plan to embark upon the construction of a Packing House and Food Processing facility that will help to prepare, process, pack, and store produce from the CCH for distribution. This facility will also have classroom space and a tissue culture lab that will allow experimentation and optimize the growing conditions for seedlings to germinate. In turn, this will allow our farm to produce added-value products and create avenues for other local farmers to sell their products and reduce wastage on their respective farms. This facility will also support the food processing courses for farmers and students interested in learning how to create new products from their produce that can generate other revenue streams.

Needless to say, the future of farming is now at a critical turning point in The Bahamas. Capital investments like the CCH and the provision of training and support through the CTI Farm will ensure that experienced and new farmers are equipped and supported in their work. Ultimately, OEF envisions Eleuthera reclaiming its historical name, “The Breadbasket of The Bahamas.”

Expanding Training Opportunities

When the Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) launched its signature Learn and Earn Program five years ago, there was a need to provide alternate pathways to employment for the youth of South Eleuthera. Since that time, CTI’s training footprint has expanded significantly. Today, programming is offered not only through Learn and Earn opportunities

based in the South but also in the North through the Harbour Island Trade School (HITS), which is operated on Harbour Island but serves students from many of the northern islands and settlements. In addition, CTI’s Virtual Campus platform has been a catalyst that has allowed a flow of creativity and innovation where students are able to access hundreds of self-guided online classes. Topics cover a wide range, including but not limited to Career Development, Business Skills, Information Technology, Soft Skills, Workplace Essentials, Small Business Training for Entrepreneurs, Human Resources, Internet Marketing and Sales and Marketing. This online platform also provides the opportunity to further offer support to the people of Eleuthera and The Bahamas.

To date, seventy (70) different students have participated in CTI’s signature Learn and Earn program. While the earliest cohorts learned new skills in culinary, hospitality and the construction trades, the most recent cohorts gained skills in agricultural-related technologies. Over the years, CTI has streamlined its Learn and Earn offerings due to the economic slowdown caused by Hurricane Dorian, health challenges accompanying COVID-19 and the desire of participants to become economically stable as soon as possible. Rather than having to commit to a classroompaid apprenticeship lasting eighteen (18) months, students in CTI’s most recent Learn and Earn cohorts have undertaken a more focused 12week experience. Moving forward, CTI plans to implement this new, abbreviated-yet-focused model given the ongoing economic challenges.

In the North, CTI has enjoyed a fruitful two-year partnership with the Friends of HITS, a group of donors with ties to Harbour Island who share our desire to uplift Eleutherans through training opportunities. To date, the CTI-HITS program has graduated eighty (80) students, including four (4) cohorts of culinary students, three (3) cohorts of electrical students and one (1) cohort of carpentry students. Looking ahead, CTI and FHITS are in dialogue about expanding the footprint in the North to facilitate a wider range of training opportunities – including hospitality and advanced construction trades – for a wider range of students.

Despite being under lockdown in the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic, OEF/CTI was cognizant of creating a harmonious balance for instructors and students with its Virtual Campus to reach as many people as possible. As a result, the Learn and Earn and CTI-HITS students, OEF/CTI staff and frontline workers in Eleuthera were exposed to several hundred online, self-guided courses that enabled them to strengthen their knowledge and learn new skills at their own pace. Moving forward, CTI envisions thousands of students – including some located in the most rural areas of The Bahamas – taking advantage of these virtual learning opportunities.

Developing Sustainable, Affordable and Resilient Housing Alternatives

For nearly a decade, OEF has been working to foster sustainable community development in the areas of economy, education, environment, health, and heritage on the island of Eleuthera. Two obstacles have made this work difficult: recurring devastating hurricanes and limited access to capital. While the history of hurricanes in The Bahamas is well documented, the challenges that native Bahamians face in accessing capital are rarely discussed. Nowhere is this reality more apparent than in the typical Bahamian’s struggle to find safe and affordable housing. Even the Bahamian government has recognized this challenge and recently launched a program to address some of these barriers.

To address this issue, OEF is seeking to create The Studio for Affordable & Sustainable Housing (“The Studio Project”), a partnership between OEF, Michael Singer Studios and the architecture/design departments of three universities: the University of North Carolina – Charlotte (UNCC), Florida A&M University (FAMU) and the University of The Bahamas (UB). Faculty, students and professionals representing these entities have been meeting for the last two semesters, and the third cohort of students has resumed their research and development this fall.

The Studio Project’s research and designs will center around creating affordable, resilient, and culturally relevant housing models. The goal will be to develop models that allow access to capital in current financing structures while also training local persons in the building, owning and operating of vacation rentals and small resorts.

To date, design professionals and students have been exploring new housing models using the following variables: sustainability, resiliency, comfort, functionality, constructability, and affordability. Eventually, we hope to build models on OEF’s property where locals can stay to learn more about the homes and opportunities for ownership. Over time, OEF envisions The Studio Project helping families gain an increased sense of financial security, well-being and opportunity as they become first-time homeowners.

Accelerating Core Partners

“Partnering” – with churches, businesses, schools, civic groups, winter residents and visitors – has always been central to OEF’s DNA. Arguably, OEF’s ability to network with a wide range of stakeholders has been THE key ingredient to our success.

Long before OEF was birthed ten years ago, a number of local entities in South and Central Eleuthera were already working to strengthen individuals and communities. In fact, a number of key personnel for these “Core Partners” eventually became some of the founders and first employees of OEF. Over time, OEF has taken on a fundraising and supportive role for many of these entities, including most notably South Eleuthera Emergency Partners SEEP, South Eleuthera Mission, Eleuthera Arts and Cultural Centre and Island Journeys. “Partnering” – with churches, businesses, schools, civic groups, winter residents and visitors – has always been central to OEF’s DNA. Arguably, OEF’s ability to network with a wide range of stakeholders has been THE key ingredient to our success.

In our recently adopted five-year Strategic Plan, our Board has prioritized the “acceleration” of several of these Core Partners. By “accelerating” we mean assisting these partner organisations in moving beyond a volunteer-led model with limited operating budgets to fully functioning, independent members of the nonprofit sector. In most cases, this means (1) strengthening the entity’s Board governance, (2) developing funding streams, (3) registering and reviewing constitutive documents for registration under the new NPO legislation, and (4) identifying leaders who can create and implement a sustainable vision for the organisation.

Much of this work is being done through OEF’s Social Enterprise Accelerator (OEFSEA), led by Mark Palmer and Laura Paine. Launched in June 2020, OEFSEA has already assisted ten (10) organisations and twentythree (23) individuals in different stages of developing their organisation or concept. As Mark Palmer likes to say, “Our goal is to strengthen OEF’s Partners to become self-sufficient and thrive without solely relying on OEF. Over time, we seek to help our Partners meet the operating standards for well-governed nonprofits, including establishing an active Board of Directors, creating strong policies and implementing a strategic plan and operational budget.”

As OEF moves into its second decade, the “acceleration” process – both for long-time Core Partners and new ones – will become a trademark of our organisation. As President Shaun Ingraham says, “No one sector alone can solve the problems that The Bahamas faces as a nation. The public, private and civil sectors must learn to work together collaboratively and strategically to resolve complex issues in the years to come. Our future depends on it.”

Development of a New Campus Master Plan

Over the last few years, OEF and CTI have acquired new property, and plans have been drafted to construct new infrastructure on campus. The CCH and the Farmers Market Building are symbols and representative of how these new plans and ideas have already started to shape our campus. In order to tackle food security, create new training opportunities and break down the barriers to homeownership in Eleuthera, we recognize the need to develop new strategies and facilities to achieve these goals. Now that our five-year strategic plan has been approved, we will now work on a Campus Master Plan that will support our strategic imperatives and programs. We aim to develop a campus model that encompasses eco-friendly and sustainable technologies, while birthing innovative ideas that can solve the complex issues that face Eleuthera. In time we forsee the Rock Sound campus becoming a sanctuary for the community and visitors to experience holistic, mental, physical and spiritual healing.

Conclusion

Despite the monumental challenges of the last two years, OEF remains hopeful. Guided by Our Shared Vision and newly adopted Strategic Plan 2020-2025, our staff and leadership remain focused on moving the island of Eleuthera and our nation forward. As always, the relationships with donors, partners, local businesses, churches and other community stakeholders make all of this work possible.

Shaun Ingraham, One Eleuthera Foundation’s President and CEO, was awarded the prestigious Community Impact Award on March 18th, 2021, by his alma mater, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

The Community Impact Award is the first of its kind to be awarded by the Emory Alumni Association. It seeks to recognize alumni who make a significant and positive impact on the lives of others and embody the values represented in the university’s vision.

Emory’s Inaugural Community Impact Award Bestowed on President & CEO Shaun Ingraham

“Within the Emory family, the Community Impact Award is one of the most significant awards that an alum can receive,” noted Corrine Abraham, Associate Professor for Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff’s School of Nursing. “It has been a privilege to witness all that Shaun and his faithful team have accomplished over the years.”

In accepting this award, Mr. Ingraham reflected, “I am truly humbled, but I see this award as not so much a reflection of MY work but the work of dozens of people over the years who have given of their time and resources to make OEF a reality. During this challenging time for us all, this award serves as a tangible reminder that our work continues to matter.”