Vision

We see the ecological and social crises as deeply interconnected — two sides of the same injustice.
The ecological crisis hits hardest those who have contributed the least to it, while global systems continue to extract, waste, and exclude.

The same extractivist logic that depletes natural resources has long exploited colonized populations — reducing both land and people to tools for profit.

Faced with this, we’ve chosen to act because action is where we feel most useful and happy. We don’t claim to have the solution — but at our scale, we’re putting all our energy into building something as fair and sustainable as possible, acting with communities to restore autonomy, dignity, and ecological balance.

Our Vision of “Humanitarian Aid”

We believe that humanitarian action should start with listening — not imposing. Everything we do is based on the needs expressed by the people of Île-à-Vache.
We aim to build autonomy, not dependence. We act with them and for them.

We see ourselves not as saviors, but as facilitators.
Any skill or tool we bring comes with a commitment to share knowledge and train people locally — so that solutions last, grow, and belong to the community.

We are fully aware that, as Westerners, we carry our own cultural and social biases. That’s why we’re committed to constantly questioning ourselves and avoiding any attempt to copy-paste our way of life where it doesn't belong.

We are also actively learning about the history and pitfalls of traditional humanitarian aid — through meetings, readings, and podcasts.
A good podcast that we can recommend is "The New Humanitarian".

What this means in practice:

We’ve met with many families and also key members of the community to understand the real needs of the island:
the school director, nurse, teachers, local officials, environmental guards, farmers, fishers, the community center manager, ...
We’re working with a local farmer to restart mango drying using a solar dryer, as a way to enhance food preservation and income
We keep daily contact with people there to keep co-building the project with them.

Our Vision of Sustainability

At the heart of the Low Tech Armada is two simple principles: re-use and energy autonomy — not as trendy concepts, but as practical, necessary solutions to both ecological and local realities.

Re-use

Every tool, material, or item we transport is reused, recycled, or repurposed.

We move resources from places where they’re treated as waste or left unused to places where they are needed, valued, and even vital.
A dusty drill here can build a rainwater collector there.

Energy Autonomy

Île-à-Vache has no access to a central power grid. That alone makes off-grid, low-tech energy systems a necessity.

But beyond that, we see it as a matter of ecological responsibility.
We aim to build simple, human-powered, and locally maintainable systems: solar dryers, pedal-powered tools, rainwater collection, and more.

Energy sobriety is not just about carbon footprints — it’s about resilience, autonomy, and respect for planetary boundaries.

Why “Low Tech Armada”?

We chose this name to evoke the idea of a powerful and determined movement — a fleet of ideas, tools, and solidarity.

Like an armada, our aim is to move together, motivated and coordinated. But unlike traditional armadas, we don’t come with force — we come with pedal-powered machines, sails, shared skills, and the full strength of our hearts.

We take an action-driven approach: grounded in doing, building, and responding directly to real needs — not waiting for the perfect plan or staying stuck in theory. We learn by doing, adjusting as we go, in a spirit of experimentation, humility, and continuous improvement.

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