Imagine if you lived in Ile-a-Vache, like most families you would not have running water, and just like the students at Ecole du Village, you would have to walk one hour every morning to the nearest well to collect water for you and your family and carry it back home.
In recent years, the families of Ecole du Village have installed rainwater cisterns in their houses. This has alleviated some of the burden of collecting water, but it still does not provide safe drinking water. Rainwater can easily collect bacteria, parasites, and viruses that can cause illness making it unsafe to drink or to use for personal hygiene. Even with the rain collectors, families still had to make the daily long walk for drinking water.
This month, thanks to Hope for Haiti, a nonprofit organization that works towards improving the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly children, the long walk to water will no longer be a daily chore but instead, a sporadic one needed only when rainwater is scarce. Hope for Haiti delivered 150 Sawyer Water Filtration systems to Ecole du Village and trained our School Administrator, Jean Sauny Pierre, on how to use and maintain the filters. Each Sawyer Water Filtration system can be used to filter up to 1 million gallons of water over the course of 10 years. At the beginning of the upcoming school year, Ecole du Village will distribute these water filters to all its students’ families and train them on their proper use.
We are immensely grateful to Hope for Haiti for this initiative and for including our community in their efforts. There is nothing healthier than clean water.
Cheers!
A representative of Hope for Haiti demonstrating how the filters work.
Training includes learning how to properly use and maintain the filters.
Sawyer Filtration Systems can filter 1 million gallons over a span of 10 years.
Updates from Ile-a-Vache
Buy a Home/Build a Home
The construction of Jenel's house is rapidly progressing. His family will soon be able to move into their new home thanks to the Buy a Home/Build a Home initiative. To learn more, visit our website.
COVID-19 Response
We continue to provide materials and hire local residents to make protective masks. So far we have distributed 1,400 masks to residents in Ile-a-Vache and Jacmel.
