October, 2008

Dear Friends and Supporters of Clean Water for Haiti:

I feel like it should still be July or something like that. Would you believe it took me three tries to get the right month at the top of this update? Time just seems to wander away here in Haiti. I blame it on the weather. When most days seem to look the same and may only vary slightly in temperature or humidity, time just seems to roll on without much notice like you would have in a place with very noticeable seasonal changes.

What is noticed here are abnormal weather patterns. Last month we shared with you about the destruction that had fallen on Haiti thanks to Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike. Many parts of Haiti are badly affected and it will take a very long time to see any improvement. Rumor is that the damage in Gonaives in 2004 after hurricane Jeanne is nothing compared to the damage that has been caused in the last month, and that’s just one region of the country that has been affected. Some communities are only accessible by foot at this point, several weeks after the flooding has gone down. There are parts of the national highway that have sunk down and other areas that have been eaten away by water. Haiti is a mess.

This tent camp was set up for flood victims near the community of Cabaret.

Many organizations, along with the UN, have been working around the clock to try and get relief into those areas that have been cut off. Gonaives was basically only accessible by boat or helicopter. The US Marines brought one of their ships in to help out with the efforts there. Until late last week we would often see it several times a day making the trip between Port au Prince and Gonaives. One day we even saw two helicopters land on its deck. When there aren’t many entertainment options these things are exciting.

When everything was going on we really asked ourselves how the mission could be of the most use during the coming months. We know that the filters are more of a development tool, not a relief tool. We decided to continue sending our staff out to promote the filters, and for the week following the hurricane damage we offered them at a special price because we knew resources would be limited. We sold about 100 filters in our local area. Matt was also able to take one of the mission trucks to Gonaives to help rescue and relocate about 50 kids and staff from an orphanage that had been stranded for days. We were happy that we were in a position to help out in a practical way. We know that over the long term the way we can make the most difference is to keep doing what we’re doing and do it well.

Last month we shared that the Montrouis bridge went out as a direct result of the vast amount of water that was moving down river from the hurricanes. We were essentially cut off from Port au Prince because of it. Thankfully some friends of ours had a vehicle on the other side of the river that we were able to use when needed. We would just drive to our side of the bridge, walk across, and then use their truck to go where we needed to go. What was amazing to me was how industrious people were despite the fact. Buses and tap taps would drive people to the side of the bridge that they were on, unload, and reload with people and goods that had walked across the bridge. It made for some good congestion and less than friendly people at the bridge most days, but it meant that food and supplies were still able to get across. They even pumped gas through a giant hose from one truck to another so that fuel would be available in our area. The new bridge was finished and opened Friday (26th) afternoon. We could tell right away that it was open because the highway got much louder with the higher volume of traffic on it again.

There’s a phrase in Creole that we use often – degaje (deh-gah-zjay). It means “make it work”. Despite not having access to much in the last few weeks we were able to keep going with the projects that we started here at the mission. The solar array is slowly coming along, though considering the nature of the project slow is probably better at this point. The main support beams are in place and Jean and Thony have started welding in the cross supports. They’re doing the welding 30 feet in the air! It’s really quite impressive. I know the pictures will only give you a small idea of what it’s really like…

The solar array from a distance.

Jean welding way up high.

The solar panels should be out of customs any day now, at least that’s what we’re hoping for. They were supposed to arrive in the country on September 4th. The whole customs process here is crazy and never consistent, so we’ll see how long it takes before we have everything on site. It’s been so long since we shipped everything that I don’t even know if we remember what’s on the container. It’s kind of like Christmas when it all arrives.

The construction on the new staff apartment is coming along nicely. This was the reason that we started the dorm building in the first place. We wanted to go up a storey to add some much needed accommodation for our long term volunteers. Once the dorm building was finished our “bosses” started working on the stairs to go up to the second level. I was in Canada when they were finished and Chris sent me an email to update me. In it he said, “The stairs are done and they work!” I laughed because more often than not stairs in Haiti don’t “work”. They’re usually all different heights and depths and you almost break an ankle trying to navigate them. By the time I got back from my trip the walls had started going up. It’s very exciting to go from seeing lines on a drawing to seeing the drawing become something tangible.

The progress on the new staff apartment.

This last week we had friends visiting from the US. Susie and Erik got us started on what will be a very busy few months with lots of visitors coming and going. By the time you receive this we’ll be hosting Owen, who is a potential long term volunteer. He’s coming to check out the mission and see what we do first hand before he commits to coming on staff with us. We would love prayer for him as he seeks God’s direction in the coming months, and prayer for Chris and I as well as we determine if Owen is a good fit for the mission and the work we’re doing.

October 19-14 we’re hosting a class for 10 students. Classes are always a busy time, and each one is so different based on the level of understanding that the students have, how quickly they pick up the material and how interested they are in the class. Some are sent by organizations not quite understanding why they are there, and others come very enthusiastic about what they are learning.

After that class we have a couple weeks where we’re hoping to host a small three day training for UMCOR – United Methodist Committee on Relief. They contacted us after hurricane Hanna to see if we could partner to get filters into an outlying area of Gonaives. We will essentially be the production facility and they will buy the filters from us, do the installations and take care of follow up and education for recipients. We’re looking forward to this partnership.

From mid-November on we will be hosting a week of Vision Trips, and several weeks of friends and family that will be coming to visit. Family and friends are fun because it’s a chance for us to break up our normal routine as we get out and do fun things with them. And, it’s a chance to get loved on a bit. There’s something incredibly comforting about being with people that just know you and get you. We miss that so much being so far away from everyone.

Olivia is growing like crazy! She now has 4 teeth, and is not far off from walking. She pulls herself up on everything, and looks like she’s doing baby gymnastics when she’s maneuvering herself back down. We like that she’s able to move around more on her own now. She’s a lot happier because of it. As a family we’re having a lot of fun. Chris and I love being parents. It’s so fun for us to watch Olivia grow and discover the world around her. So often we find ourselves laughing because of what she’s doing, and she loves the attention. She doesn’t sit still and we have a feeling she’s going to keep us hopping. At 8 months it’s amazing to me what she picks up on and what she’s able to understand and do.

Over the coming month we hope you will keep Haiti in your prayers. The amount of damage and devastation here will take a very long time to overcome. Funding for those organizations that are doing the major relief work is limited as well and it makes what they are trying to accomplish difficult, and those families that are trying to rebuild have very few resources to do so.

We love to hear from you so if you have a few minutes we hope you’ll send a quick note our way.

Blessings,

Chris & Leslie Rolling

Executive Directors