WaterLife in Haiti

WaterLife is helping to ensure the health and safety of children and families of Medor, Haiti by providing technical expertise to a water project that was initiated by St. Joseph's Church, Medor in partnership with Our Lady of Peace Parish in Virginia, USA. The objective is to ensure that there are safe, accessible sources of drinking water, that community members of all ages are educated on how to keep the water clean and that they are engaged and motivated to take ownership and maintain the water system to ensure sustainability of the project. A latrine and sanitation education project is planned in conjunction with the provision of safe water.

The project will benefit 26,000 people living in many large and small communities of the commune of Medor. Representatives of 29 communities and the principal community-based organizations, including CASEC (municipal council), health Department, InterAide (ngo), secondary school students, Women's Group, community leaders, St. Joseph Parish Council, Baptist Church representatives, Groupe Ma Paysane and Voudou Group are actively engaged in the planning and development of the project.

Community ownership is key to sustainability

Clean water and improved sanitation are key to healthier children

Prospects for success are high. While the people of Medor live in a number of small decentralized localities, each community is relatively densely populated and most have their own existing water sources. The challenge is to ensure the safety and sustainability of the sources and provide for those few localities that lack easy access. Each locality has formed a water committee to educate and serve as the primary force in the development of the water sources.

Achievements to date include:

• Community commitment to take ownership of the project with an organizational and financial stake in its success;
• Formation of partnerships with stakeholders and specialists;
• Documentation of 100 natural water springs throughout the commune of Medor;
• Water sampling and water quality testing of 30 water sources;
• Documentation of usage rates at the water sources;
• Provision of sodium hypochlorite and calcium hypochlorite, with education on its use to ensure safe water consumption by community members during the interval prior to completion of the Medor;
• Recommendations on three potential measures to ensure safe water: capping of sources, wells and rainwater harvesting;
• Rating of existing water sources according to the most likely effective safe water measures;
• Identification of issues that impact on water safety in Medor, including deforestation and solid waste disposal and preliminary plans to address them;
• Recruitment of additional support, including Initiative de Development (ID) and UNICEF Haiti, to expand the project partnership and make it most effective.

Immediate next steps include selection of 8-10 pilot sites, final determination on the most effective measures for each water source to ensure safe water, implementation of the recommended infrastructure, and safe water education, all in conjunction with individual community Water Committees, followed by the introduction of the latrine and sanitation education program in 2007.

For additional information or to find out how you can support WaterLife's efforts in Medor, please contact us.