Many water stations in Port-au-Prince are not open at night, because it has not been safe to keep them open. The neighborhoods in Haiti are without street lights, they have no light. It is not safe for women and children and to walk alone. Our new street lights make it safe for women and children to access the water they need at night. We have now brought 10 solar street lights to Haiti.
Currently, water sites are open only during the day. This means that families must gather water during the daytime school hours and work hours. Haitians must be able to work (or search for work) as much as possible — 40% of Haitians are unemployed and 80% of Haitians make below the international poverty line. Enabling Haitians to access water at night increases the amount of time they can work.
“Trou-Sable is a neighborhood that benefits from a street light system. Together with the “Komite Dlo”, we installed the lighting system. Now, the residents move freely in the dead of the night. Markets are selling at night. Schoolchildren are going to class.” — Dalebrun Esther, Trou-Sable
At the cost of $1,500 per installation, we are slowly lighting the neighborhoods of the capital. Trou-Sable and Mont Jolie will be the first two neighborhoods with a solar light because of their excitement to open their water stations at night. Each neighborhood becomes safer—especially for women—as the street lights are turned on. No funds are needed to continue to power these street lights for many years in the future.
The solar cell and battery are designed to work without service or repair for many years. Each is a major investment in Haiti’s future.