Haiti: Emergency Response Phase 2
On 4th October 2016, Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti, leaving a trail of destruction across the island nation. The hurricane brought about the country’s most severe humanitarian crisis since the 2010 earthquake.
In the weeks and months following the disaster, there was a spike in cholera, diarrhea, and other water-related illnesses. One of the reasons for this is that many sanitation and water systems were destroyed, leading to contamination of water sources.
Having consulted with local partners and gathered extensive information from UN agencies and other credible sources, PBV identified this need and decided to launch a phase 2 project focusing on clean water and community sanitation.
Following on from the first emergency response project carried out in the weeks following the hurricane, PBV returned to Haiti from 27th January to 7th February 2017, to provide much-needed support to communities in the Grand’Anse region, located on the south-western tip of the island.
PBV and local partner World Cares Center implemented workshops focusing on community sanitation, held in the local Haitian Creole language, in 6 districts of Grand’Anse; Beaumont, Bonbon, Corail, Jeremie, Moron, and Roseaux.
The workshops covered simple measures people can take to reduce the risk of contracting cholera, like washing hands with soap and safe water, cooking food thoroughly (especially seafood), peeling fruits and vegetables, and using latrines.
These workshops were followed by a distribution of water filters, to enable families and community members to have access to clean water.
The water filters last for 10 years, and cut 99.99% of bacteria, protozoa, and cysts like E.Coli, Cholera and Typhoid from drinking water.
IMPACTS
Over the course of 2 weeks, PBV and World Cares Center achieved the following:
- Distributed water filters to 744 households, 4 schools, and 2 clinics in 6 districts of Grand’Anse.
- Provided clean water to 10,494 people for the next 10 years (through distribution of water filters).
- Trained 68 community leaders to teach others how to assemble and clean the water filters, educate others about cholera prevention, and implement safe, effective distributions of supplies for the community.
- Educated over 800 people about cholera and how to prevent contracting it; these individuals were also provided with post-card sized information sheets written in Haitian Creole covering key points.
After speaking with dozens of recipients of these filters, it was clear that they have already made a significant impact on their lives.
One recipient said:
“I am so glad to have access to clean water now, thanks to the water filter. Before, my family was drinking untreated water, and became sick frequently. Now, I am confident that I can protect my children from diseases like cholera, and believe that clean, safe drinking water will improve my family’s overall health.”
PBV would like to thank our donors and supporters who have made this project possible.
Thanks to your support, we have been able to reach over 10,000 people with critical assistance in Haiti.
