Extending a Helping Hand: Nonprofit Activities

Dan Hildebrand is a man trained in building Monolithic Domes, who has helped on several projects in places like Haiti. He has a real passion for that type of work and for helping people. What he describes in the article that follows is help for a small number of Haitians. But before you read Dan’s article, let me tell you about two magnanimous plans that never saw reality.

Monolithic Domes and EcoShells are making a difference in the lives of orphans in Nyamasaria, Kenya. The Owiti Children’s Home and Medical Center, operated by World Youth International, opened its doors in 2004 and became home to more than 50 children.

When Rebecca South founded Domes for the World in 2005, she was building on the vision of her father, David B. South. He envisioned the construction of safe, low-cost dome homes for the poorest people on the planet. His vision has turned into reality as EcoShell domes have been built in countries like Indonesia, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Bolivia.

Stephanie and Hunter Hunt are Dallas philanthropists who are working to make the world a better place by improving living standards for the world’s poorest people. That’s why they founded the Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity at Southern Methodist University. This week, the institute is raising awareness about global poverty by hosting a living village designed to inspire action.

When you first begin really looking into current living conditions worldwide, what you hear and read appears overwhelmingly staggering – a situation impossible to correct or even improve. We do not believe that. For one, it’s too easy – too easy to just look at the bigness and give up. Secondly, we do believe we have solutions: 21st Century technology. We know it’s practical and we believe it’s doable.

April 2011 promises to be an exciting, hope-filled month for donors to Domes For The World (DFTW). Andrew South, president of DFTW, said that that’s when a significant shipment will be leaving for Haiti.

Many of you have supported Domes for the World over the years, and followed our progress as we have worked to improve the lives of people in desperate need of safe and affordable housing. Now you have the opportunity to let the world know what you think about our efforts.

David B. South has spent most of his life trying to change the world. Since building his first Monolithic Dome in 1975, he has been working to convince people to think outside the box. Now he has a chance to be formally recognized as a Changemaker as part of an international competition for sustainable urban housing.

Haiti’s devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010 claimed millions of victims. Some of the most destitute were parentless children living at an orphanage called Pwoje Espwa (Creole for Project Hope) in the Southern Region. Project Hope, which had been operating since 1998 by providing shelter, food, education and vocational training, was completely destroyed.

The Domes For The World Foundation’s mission is to improve the lives of people worldwide through the introduction and construction of Monolithic Domes and EcoShells for personal and public use. We will initiate and coordinate efforts to alleviate shortages of housing and community facilities in struggling cultures and impoverished lands.

David Smith first learned about Monolithic Dome construction 13 years ago, and has been a fan every since. In fact, he has been so impressed with the buildings that he started a dome-building business called Smith Family Dome Home Builders.

At Monolithic, we have developed a simple structure to provide for the basic needs of a family. It’s a Monolithic EcoShell dome, designed specifically to answer the needs of shelterless people worldwide.

Since earthquakes struck Haiti and Chile earlier this year, interest in EcoShells has been at an an all-time high. Relief agencies from all over the world have been calling Monolithic to find out more about this unique type of building that has been proven to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes and yet can be built entirely by hand using local labor.

Check out this video describing the Monolithic Ecoshell and why it is the choice for housing in developing nations. They are strong structures that can withstand natural disasters, fire, termites and rot. In underdeveloped areas with hot climates, EcoShells make affordable, low maintenance, sturdy housing.

The drawings here represent proposed plans for the rebuilding of Haiti. Monolithic is doing everything it can to make this happen for this struggling country.

An Idaho real estate investor will help the world go round when she breaks ground next February on 139 Monolithic Dome homes in Chiclayo, Peru. The project will be a first for Sube International LLC, which Lynda Eggimann founded earlier this year to build dome homes in the developing world.

On Friday, December 2, 2005, the Southern Sudan Education Project (SSEP) held a banquet and fundraiser at the Utah Multicultural Center in Salt Lake City. The keynote speaker for the event was Manute Bol— best known as the “Tallest man in the world.”

When an earthquake struck Indonesia’s Island of Java in May 2006, some communities were harder hit than others. Ngelepen, for example, was devastated by a major landslide that wiped away every structure in town. But thanks to generous assistance from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO) and Dubai-based Emaar Properties, the Domes For The World (DFTW) Foundation was able to rebuild the community by constructing safe and efficient Monolithic EcoShells.

Domes For The World (DFTW), a Salt Lake-City-based nonprofit foundation established in 2005 with a mission to improve the lives of people worldwide through the introduction and construction of Monolithic Domes and EcoShells, has completed its first major project: a village of 71 dome homes, six public lavatories, a mosque, a medical clinic and a kindergarten on the Island of Java in Indonesia.

Foundation Receives $1 Million Grant to Build Houses in Indonesia

This is a video featuring the project by Domes for the World in New Ngelepen, Indonesia. The New Ngelepen project included 77 houses, 6 MCK’s (bathroom, shower facilities), 6 wells, 6 septic systems, a church, and roads.