SOIL

What SOIL does

SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2006 by Sasha Kramer and Sarah Brownell that operates container-based sanitation (CBS) services in Haiti. Its flagship EkoLakay service installs simple two-compartment household toilets (separating urine and solids, with wood-shaving cover material), collects sealed waste drums on weekly routes, and treats the material at composting facilities (Mouchinette and Limonade) where thermophilic microorganisms exceed 55°C to destroy pathogens like E. coli and cholera, yielding pathogen-free agricultural-grade compost sold as Konpos Lakay.

The organization serves dense, low-income urban Haitian households — primarily in Cap-Haïtien with recent expansion into Caracol — plus emergency public toilet deployments for internally displaced populations. It also serves small-scale Haitian farmers as a secondary customer segment via subsidized compost sales (~75 HTG / under $2 per 5-gallon bag). Go-to-market is sales-led and community-led: door-to-door neighborhood sign-ups paired with partnerships to collectives like KOSS (nine CBOs in Shada).

Revenue mechanics blend nominal monthly household user fees, a byproduct compost line, and — most importantly — grants, foundation donations, and outcomes-based financing from partners including the Vitol Foundation, IDB Lab's Outcomes for Change Fund, Levoca Impact Labs, and historically Oxfam GB. At April 2024 scale, SOIL had installed 2,843 EkoLakay toilets serving over 17,000 Haitians, employed 50+ full-time and 200+ part-time staff (over 90% locally hired), and was treating 650+ metric tons of waste and producing 200 tons of compost annually. Operations span Cap-Haïtien (regional HQ), Port-au-Prince, and a Sacramento, California administrative office.

Name

SOIL

Legal name

Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods

Website

https://oursoil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SOIL is a Haiti-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides container-based household sanitation through its EkoLakay service, converting collected human waste into agricultural compost sold as Konpos Lakay, and serves urban low-income Haitian households, flood-zone communities, and small-scale farmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sanitation Services

NAICS

Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Compost Manufacturing (325315), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Compost & Soil Amendment Product Manufacturing/Blending (Value-Added Organics) (BPALAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organics End-Market Services (Land Application, Soil Restoration, Erosion Control) (BPALAEAL), Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)

Keywords

• Container-based sanitation
• Ecological sanitation services
• Waste treatment facilities
• Agricultural compost production
• Household toilet services

Headquarters

HQ city

Port-au-prince

HQ country

Haiti

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Monthly User Fees / Sanitation Service: SOIL collects monthly user fees from households subscribed to the EkoLakay service. These fees cover ongoing maintenance, waste collection, and treatment costs. The social business model aims to demonstrate revenue streams that can attract small Haitian businesses to participate in service delivery.
2. Compost Sales: Compost generated from treated human waste is sold to farmers and agricultural operations. SOIL's 'Konpos Lakay' (local compost) is sold at subsidized rates (approximately 75 HTG / less than $2 USD per 5-gallon bag) to make it accessible to small-scale farmers while helping subsidize sanitation operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SOIL provides container-based household sanitation services (branded EkoLakay) to dense urban communities in Haiti, including installation of in-home toilets, weekly waste collection via drum exchange, and thermophilic composting treatment of human waste. The service transforms collected waste into pathogen-free, agricultural-grade compost sold to farmers as Konpos Lakay, closing the nutrient loop while addressing the country's sanitation crisis and soil depletion simultaneously.

Product overview

SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods) offers a container-based sanitation service ecosystem centered on EkoLakay, providing household toilets, weekly waste collection, and waste treatment. The service transforms human waste into agricultural-grade compost sold under the Konpos Lakay brand. SOIL operates public dry toilets in underserved communities and provides household sanitation to urban families in Haiti. The organization treats over 650 metric tons of waste annually at its composting facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EkoLakay: SOIL's flagship container-based sanitation service providing household toilets, weekly waste collection, and waste treatment to transform human waste into agricultural compost.

Products and services

• EkoLakay Household Sanitation Service SOIL's flagship container-based sanitation service providing dense urban Haitian households with in-home toilets, weekly drum exchange waste collection, and waste treatment into agricultural compost. Subscribed households pay monthly user fees and receive dignified, safely-managed sanitation that remains operational during flooding when traditional latrines fail.
• Public Dry Toilets Community and public toilet facilities managed by SOIL that provide safe, dignified sanitation in areas lacking infrastructure, particularly in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and urban neighborhoods. Following the 2010 earthquake, SOIL constructed 200 public toilets serving nearly 20,000 displaced people in partnership with Oxfam GB.
• Waste Treatment Services SOIL operates composting waste treatment facilities (including Mouchinette and Limonade sites) that transform collected human waste through thermophilic composting (above 55°C) into pathogen-free, nutrient-rich agricultural compost. SOIL treats over 650 metric tons of waste each year, making it one of the largest waste treatment operations in Haiti.
• Konpos Lakay Agricultural Compost Nutrient-rich agricultural-grade compost produced from treated human waste at SOIL's facilities and sold to Haitian small-scale farmers and cooperatives at subsidized rates (approximately 75 HTG per 5-gallon bag). The product improves depleted soils, supports crop yields, and helps subsidize sanitation operations. Approximately 200 tons are produced annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000+ households provided with safe sanitation since 2006
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• DINEPA (Direction Nationale de l'Eau Potable et de l'Assainissement)coreOthersHaitian Government Sanitation Authority and Ministry of Public Health are key government stakeholders in the OCF partnership. DINEPA Director General Ing. Théophil OSTINVIL visited SOIL facilities in March 2026 to strengthen public service collaboration.
• Oxfam GBmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funding and implementation partner following the 2010 earthquake. Supported construction of 200 public toilets in IDP camps serving nearly 20,000 people, and conducted market assessment of compost and fertilizer sales in Haiti.
• Re.Source (Stanford University)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStanford University startup funded by Grand Challenges Explorations Phase 1 grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Partnered with SOIL to design improved household EcoSan toilet and social business model for household sanitation in urban slums.
• KOSS (Collective of 9 CBOs in Shada)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with collective of nine community-based organizations in Shada neighborhood to promote hygiene education, monitor toilet functioning, provide quality-checking services, and foster micro-enterprises around waste collection.
• Trees, Water & PeopleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered in January 2012 to plant thousands of fruit trees in northern Haiti using SOIL's EcoSan compost. Part of 10,000 Trees for Haiti initiative.
• Positive LegacyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with SOIL and Jam Cruise passengers to plant thousands of fruit trees in northern Haiti using EcoSan compost.
• Open Road AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOIL partnered with Open Road Alliance and participated in NYT interview about developing a 'toolkit' for donors to encourage healthy dialogue about realistic risks and potential roadblocks in nonprofit projects.
• Rich Flammer (Hidden Resources)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan-Diego based compost consulting firm owner and SOIL Advisory Board member who trained composting team on optimizing monitoring, testing, and processing protocols, and preparing operations for greater efficiency.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Water.org: Water.org is a global nonprofit co-founded by Gary White and Matt Damon focused on expanding access to safe water and sanitation through microfinance. Overlapping mission space with SOIL but uses a financial-services model rather than direct service delivery.
• World Vision WASH: World Vision runs large-scale WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) programs globally, including in Haiti. Overlaps with SOIL's sanitation mission but operates as a broad humanitarian NGO rather than a CBS specialist.
• WaterAid: WaterAid is a large international nonprofit focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries. Overlapping mission and donor base with SOIL but operates at much greater scale across many geographies.

Direct peers

• Sanergy: Sanergy operates container-based sanitation services in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya, collecting and treating waste to produce insect-based animal feed and organic fertilizer. Highly comparable as a CBS operator with a waste-to-resource circular model serving low-income urban households.
• Loowatt: Loowatt pioneered waterless container-based sanitation systems in Madagascar and the UK with a sealed-bag system and waste-to-value processing. Comparable as a CBS innovator serving both humanitarian and developed-market contexts.
• Clean Team Ghana: Clean Team provides container-based toilets and weekly waste collection to households in Kumasi and Accra, Ghana, with a similar door-to-door subscription model. Directly comparable operating model and customer segment to SOIL's EkoLakay service.

Emerging players

• iDE (International Development Enterprises): iDE designs and distributes sanitation products (e.g., latrines) through market-based approaches in developing countries. Comparable in its sanitation social-enterprise framing and emerging-market focus.
• Practical Action: Practical Action is an international nonprofit that works on sanitation, water, and waste in developing countries using technology-poor approaches. Comparable mission and emerging-market footprint.

Others

• Container-Based Sanitation Alliance (CBSA): CBSA is an industry coalition of CBS operators including Sanergy, SOIL-affiliated practitioners, and others promoting container-based sanitation standards. Related as an ecosystem/industry body rather than a competitor.
• Oxfam WASH: Oxfam is a global confederation running humanitarian WASH programs and a former SOIL implementation partner in Haiti post-2010 earthquake. Comparable in mission and donor base but operates at much broader scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SOILHaiti
• Facebookfacebook.com/SOILHaiti
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainable-organic-integrated-livelihoods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SOIL