Georges Obas, Driver/Mechanic

Georges grew up in Port-au-Prince, completing his studies at the Lycee. He learned to drive at a private auto-school, & began working with Hens for Haiti as their driver 8 years ago. Georges now serves as the driver for Haiti Water & also provides logistical support as he transports people & materials to support the mission. Georges prides himself in keeping the truck in good working order so that the Haiti Water team can complete their work in a timely manner.

Georges first became involved with Haiti Water because of his connection with Hens for Haiti. He agreed to lend his support & skills to the Haiti Water venture because he believes that water is life. There are many benefits to clean water & Georges is happy to be a part of an organization that is working to make water more readily available to his Haitian brothers & sisters. Georges has seen firsthand how people’s lives change for the better when they have access to water, so he is glad to be able to make the team more mobile so that they can realize as many projects as possible.

Georges is also a qualified and experienced mechanic. He uses these skills to maintain the Haiti Water vehicle and to maintain the generators, pumps, and other mechanical equipment necessary for the drilling operation as well as the ongoing maintenance of equipment left at the various water sites.

Geratson Averna, Driller

Garetson was born & raised in Gonaives. He was educated at College Chretienne de Gonaives, & began his connection with well digging operations by serving as a translator for an organization called Living Water. Garetson learned English by taking courses at the Pursuit of Happiness Institute in Gonaives. He speaks English, French, & Haitian Creole fluently. While translating for Living Water, Geratson began to learn about the well digging process & received some formation from the well digging team. Geratson then continued his formation about well digging with the Village Drill, which is how he learned the full process of digging a well. For the past 18 months, Geratson has been working with Haiti Water as a translator & a team leader for the well digging operation.

Geratson became interested in well digging operations because they have the capacity to provide water for dry zones. Having access to well water helps people to rise above their misery. Geratson sees public wells as a way to bring the community together for the common cause of developing a stable water source that everyone will benefit from using on a daily basis. Geratson also appreciates that well digging operations like Haiti Water provide employment opportunities for local people, which is another way they support community members in their quest to improve their quality of life.

Pierre Elissaint, Master Driller

Pierre (Peter) hails from Mole Saint Nicholas, the “Paradise of the Northwest” of Haiti. Since this is a rural fishing community, Pierre moved to Port-de-Paix to finish his formal education. Pierre received formation on well digging, & played an integral part in the well digging operation of Hands Together for almost two decades. Thanks to formations he continued to take during his tenure with Hands Together, Pierre became a team leader of the well digging operation & also learned to operate heavy machinery.

Pierre began working with Haiti Water in 2017, & serves as a respected source of advice & practical knowledge for the young well digging team. Pierre plays an important role in the operation & maintenance of the well digging rig, & uses his expertise to support the operation as it continues to grow. Pierre feels that well digging is his vocation, because it is a huge help for communities to have improved access to water. Thanks to his many experiences of digging wells in Cap Haitien, St. Marc, Port-de-Paix, Port-au-Prince, & Gonaives, Pierre can share first hand knowledge of problems & resolutions related to soil & digging conditions. When Pierre heard about this new well digging operation that aimed to benefit many different communities, he knew that he wanted to be part of this endeavor to make water more accessible. For Pierre, well digging operations are a collective benefit both for the local communities & for the workers who realize these projects.