We are charging ahead with the Sud-Est Clean Water Initiative. By the end of May, we will have installed water treatment systems in 53 more schools and many hospitals and public office buildings. February 7, 2012 marked the start of our full schedule of water treatment installations in the south-east of Haiti. We will complete three installations a week. You can check out reports from the field to follow our progress.
The first wave of installations will include eight schools and one hospital. Collège les Quatre Evangelistes, a school, was the first completed on February 7. The 103 students of Collège les Quatre Evangelistes now have clean water because of their new 150-gallon tank and chlorinator. The students’ families and nearby residents in the neighborhood also have access to the clean water at the school.
To appreciate the full impact of the installation at Collège les Quatre Evangelistes, we have to look at who exactly we are helping, not just how many.
Collège les Quatre Evangelistes is one of the most innovative schools in all of Haiti. In large part this is because it is one of the most affordable schools in Haiti – many children in Haiti do not attend school because their parents cannot afford the price of private schools (all schools in Haiti are private schools.) The teachers are volunteers. This shows how important this school is: teachers are willing to volunteer on a near full-time basis. Collège les Quatre Evangelistes gives parents a chance to send their students to schools, regardless of how much they can pay.
The cost is not the only innovative aspect of this school. The school’s Director, Rigaud Emmanuel Rousseau, is teaching these 103 students not only academics, but also the importance of building up their community. The school’s mission is to give a quality education to students and to encourage them to help build up their community, both now and in the future.
Moreover, Mr. Rigaud also uses the school space for community events such as microcredit classes for women and nutrition programs for children.
“What you did for us today is beyond amazing. Can you imagine that we’ve been here for this many years without clean water? I promise to allow the community to come after school hours to also get clean water. Please thank your donors and may God continue to bless them. You’ve given us hope” — Rigaud Emmanuel Rousseau, Director of Collège les Quatre Evangelistes
The clean water these 103 students, family members, and women of the community can now access will immediately improve their health, allowing them to spend less time collecting water and increasing the potential this school can offer to all students and community members involved. And remember, this is just one school: there are 53 others waiting.
Thank you for the great support you give in so many ways.
All the best,
The International Action Team