DINEPA, Haiti’s national water agency, is very interested in expanding the future Chlorine Bank Network to the South Department of Haiti within the first 6 months of 2013. Dalebrun Esther, International Action’s Director of Operations, met with DINEPA last week. Here is what he reported: DINEPA is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The IDB and DINEPA both want Haiti’s water systems to be sustained by Haitians or Haitian institutions without the help of international funds. Both agencies are now working towards finding sustainable solutions which is why they are interested in the Chlorine Bank Network.
The Chlorine Bank Network Purchasing chlorine tablets is the only cost after a chlorinator is installed. On average it costs only 20¢ per family a month for every family to have clean water. Currently, International Action is the only distribution center for tablets in Haiti. We consider it an honor to have such an important role in people’s lives. Haitians are happy that we continue to donate chlorine to them. But like every person in the world, Haitians are looking to improve, to move forward. 900,000 of the Haitians we serve want to claim ownership.
They want to ensure that they will be able to keep using their chlorinators, and agree that a locally run chlorine distribution system will ensure the permanence of their chlorinators. We call this sustainable system the Chlorine Bank Network.
The Chlorine Bank Network will follow a three step process:
1. There is a central bank in Port-au-Prince and branch banks throughout Haiti.
2. The central bank will import chlorine in bulk and distribute it to the branch banks.
3. Community leaders purchase chlorine tablets from the closest chlorine bank.
Once the Chlorine Bank Network has been established, International Action will turn over operations to bank staff and the communities that the banks serve. Each community that buys chlorine tablets from the Chlorine Bank Network will have a representative on the board. This Chlorine Bank System Board provides communities a voice as Chorine Bank Network members will be able to communicate directly with government officials and distant local leaders, providing a platform for communities to rally together.
All members will have an equal say and vote on Chlorine Bank Network matters. Collectively, they will determine the selling price of chlorine for all of the chlorine banks. Funds for community leaders to purchase chlorine will come from their local water stations. People are charged 1 to 10 US¢ by water stations for every bucket they fill. Some of this money is used by the community leaders to buy more water, and the rest is spent on chlorine.
We have begun working with community leaders to find locations for chlorine banks. Initially there will be five banks in Port-au-Prince. Each bank costs $20,000 to build, supply, and staff. We need $100,000 to create the Chlorine Bank Network.
The Chlorine Bank Network is a country-changing initiative. It will:
• Offer better representation for communities
• Create jobs
• Give communities complete ownership of their chlorinators and water safety. It will take a patient approach — five to ten years – to build up the Chlorine Bank Network to a national level. Once it is done, the health of people in Haiti will be improved permanently. The question is not “will the Chlorine Bank Network happen?” The question is “when?”