News | Clean Water for Haiti

I Don’t Know What’s Going On in Haiti – But I’m Trying to Figure it Out.

Nov 4, 2019

The topic for today is Haiti’s current socio-political situation. It’s a very complicated situation, and there are many things we don’t know, and can’t know. With such limited information and contradictory information in the media, the simplest thing to do is to grab onto an interpretation of the situation that falls into a narrative we can all relate to – that there are “good guys” and “bad guys” and that things will get better when the good guys win. The one thing I’m sure of in this situation is that there are no “good guys”. Corruption is virtually universal amongst Haiti’s leaders, and political struggles are largely about how the spoils are to be divided among them.

The president:

Jovenel Moise was elected a few years ago. He is the chosen successor of the previous president, Michel Martelly. Martelly may or may not have known Moise before picking him as his successor to run the Tet Kale (bald head) political party. In Haiti, the president can serve two, five year terms but not consecutively, so one strategy is to have a close associate serve a term in between your two terms as a seat-warmer of sorts. There is little more than speculation about the relationship between these two presidents. I have heard that they have almost no contact, and I have also heard that they meet once a week.

Moise was elected as president largely because he was seen as a successful businessman. He started an organic plantain plantation to produce for export, so he became known as Neg Banan (Plantain Man). The plantation is now defunct.

Opposition:

Confusingly, the opposition is loosely led by Jean-Charles Moise, so there are two Moises involved, not related to each other. Jean Charles was a main candidate in the last election, which was disputed and needed to be re-held.

The head of the senate, Youri Latortue, is also a leading member of the opposition. Wikeleaks published an intercepted a communique from the U.S. ambassador which stated Youri Latortue was “one of the most brazenly corrupt of leading Haitian politicians.”

Venezuela & PetroCaribe:

With the PetroCaribe program, Venezuela sold fuel to the Haitian government for credit, to be repaid later. The idea was for the funds received from fuel re-sold by the government to the various gas stations around Haiti to be used for building roads, social programs, and the like. A LOT of the money has been stolen, but we don’t have all of the information about where the money went. The program is now over.

Recently, the U.S. put pressure on Haiti to come out in opposition to Maduro’s government in Venezuela at the U.N. This upset a lot of Haitians, who saw the PetroCaribe program as a huge help to Haiti. It’s common for people to say that the people stand with Maduro, even if the government doesn’t.

USA:

The USA has been heavily involved in Haiti since the fall of the Duvalier regime which lasted from 1958-1986. The Duvalier regime was a period of autocratic stability without democracy, and the U.S. hoped to see a stable democracy begin after Baby Doc’s departure. After an interim period when a new constitution was written, Aristide was elected by a landslide – not America’s choice at all. However, after the military coup d’etat in 1992, Aristide took refuge in the USA and continued to control a large amount of Haitian government money which he used to lobby the US government and the Organization of American States to put an embargo on Haiti to force the military regime to collapse and accept Aristide back. The Clintons have a sentimental attachment to Haiti (they honeymooned here) and Bill backed the effort with redoubled effort when he became president, bringing about his return. The US remained heavily involved, along with a U.N. mission in ’94-’95 after Aristide’s return. Aristide finished his first term, helped Preval get elected under his Lavalas party banner (as seat warmer), then was elected to a second term in 2000.

Aristide upset the Americans in many ways. He was not America’s favorite candidate. It’s surprising that he was brought back, until you consider both the lobbying money being spent and the growing power of the Haitian-American voting block in the US. There are about 3 million Haitian Americans living in the U.S., and many of them saw Aristide as a hero. After his return in ’94, he went back on a number of promises which he made to the U.S. officials as they negotiated his return.

In his second term, Aristide continued to upset the Americans. In 2003 they backed an uprising against him with the aid of Guy Philippe, who led an armed group around northern Haiti, chasing the police away from each town they came to, until eventually marines from the U.S. embassy knocked on Aristide’s door and whisked him off into a plane headed to the Central African Republic. Three days later 2000 marines arrived along with the French foreign legion to quell the massive rioting that accompanied Aristide’s departure.

The U.N. took over for the marines, and stayed for 13 years. In 2010 came the earthquake, and planeloads of do-gooders arrived from the U.S. The 101^st airborne came for a while. As far as I can tell, they were basically here for photo ops while Haiti was the main item in the news cycle, but I digress. (An airdrop on the Petionville Golf Club? Seriously?)

That brings us to now. The current U.S. administration is NOT interested in being involved in Haiti – a major departure from the past 43 years. I’m not sure that this is a bad thing. In any case, they are not getting involved.

Canada:

Canada will follow whatever the USA does, probably. They won’t get involved.

France:

France is Haiti’s old colonial power. Haiti is the only country in the world to be founded on a slave revolt, and won independence from France in 1804. Some time later, the Haitian government agreed to pay France reparations for the value of the slaves which they stole from them (plus land, other properties) at the threat of attack by the French military. That’s pretty messed up. Payments on this “debt” were made for over 100 years, and only ended in the 1940s. Aristide gained enthusiastic support in Haiti by demanding this money back in his second term. It didn’t go over so well in France.

I heard recently that France is continuing to support Jovenel Moise because they are worried Aristide could come back to power if he leaves. I have trouble believing that this is really an issue with the French; surely they know that Aristide will never come back to power again. Even in Haiti, people think that two coup d’etat against the same president is too many. It’s also against the constitution to run for a third term.

The point though, is France isn’t getting involved.

The U.N.

MINUSTAH was a peacekeeping mission without any armies to keep apart (Aristide disbanded Haiti’s army in 1995). It was widely criticized, even from leaders within the mission. There were several scandals, including the introduction of cholera to Haiti, goat stealing, and lots of rape. If they raided gang bases they were accused of human rights violations, but if they did nothing, they were accused of… doing nothing. The U.N. is probably not going to get involved. As far as I know, Haiti isn’t even an item up for discussion.

Aristide:

After living in exile for 10 years in South Africa, Aristide moved back to Haiti. His party, Lavalas, is still active but not very popular. He influences Haitian politics in many ways, but does not take the limelight.

Duvalier:

Baby Doc Duvalier returned to Haiti around the same time Aristide did, then died a few years later. Even dead, though, Duvalierism lives on. A surprising number of people would like to see Haiti go back to the oppressive, yet stable, ways of the Duvalier regime.

Cocaine:

As a major trans-shipment point, Haiti is a non-producing narco-state. Many wealthy and aspiring-to-be-wealthy Haitians are involved in the drug trade, and it’s common to move back and forth between cocaine selling and politicking. It’s key to have political connections when you’re moving cocaine, and a politician can make a lot of money by facilitating the movement of cocaine in and out of the country. It would be difficult to overstate just what a profoundly negative effect America’s drug habit has on Haiti. The value of the cocaine trade in relation to Haiti’s total GNP is substantial, and breeds corruption like crazy. The cocaine trade may explain America’s seemingly erratic involvement in Haiti. The DEA is heavily involved in America’s policy towards Haiti in ways that are never made public.

So what’s going on in Haiti?

The Haitian government sets the fuel price in Haiti. The slow-motion disaster started for Moise when in July 2018, he announced a fuel price raise just as Brazil lost a football match to Belgium. Haitians love football, and Brazil is by far the favorite team. Jovenel’s plan was that Haitians would be pleased about Brazil’s easy win and be distracted from the price rise. Oops. With the loss, many people rioted and burned businesses in protest to the fuel price rises. (All the worst-hit businesses were Syrian-Haitian owned, for some reason.) Moise backed off on the planned price hike, leading to the inevitable: In an attempt to continue to pay for the subsidized fuel, the government had to dilute the money supply. This is devaluing Haiti’s currency, leading to the nominal Gourde price of fuel to become less and less in USD terms, causing the fuel subsidies to be still more expensive, causing the currency to devalue further, etcetera. The price of diesel is now about $1.80, way less than it needs to be for financial stability.

The first fuel shortage was in February. People became frustrated, and protests broke out which extended well past when fuel became available again. Eventually people got tired of the disruption and the protests petered out.

In March the police arrested a group of foreign mercenaries, including retired navy SEALs, outside of the national bank. They most likely had been hired by the president himself in an effort to have some government funds transferred to an account he controls. It’s a clear violation of Haiti’s constitution for mercenaries to be employed this way on Haitian soil, but unsurprisingly, the mercenaries were released and flew back the U.S. the next day and faced no consequences.

There are accusations that the president has paid troublemakers to take various actions around the city, and that he has provided gangs with guns. That may or may not be true. It’s certainly true that troublemakers are being paid by multiple people or groups. There are also a LOT of guns around, far more than in the past.

Just like the previous president, Jovenel Moise is attempting to revive the Haitian army. This is a move favored by Duvalierists who look back to the happy times when political dissent was quickly met with a crushing response by authorities.

The more recent fuel shortage, starting in late August, has been much more severe. At this point (Oct 29), there is fuel available in Port au Prince but not outside of the capital, because there is only one fuel depot that tanker trucks can fill up at, and the roads leading out of Port au Prince to the north and south are blocked by angry young men.

Most protests in Haiti start out with paid leaders. For political reasons, politicians (or anyone) will pay young, unemployed men to block the highway, throw rocks and generally make trouble. The payment can be cash, but it might just be clairin (Haitian moonshine). Other, unpaid young men may join in the protest too. In this most recent instance, the road blockages have gone on a LONG time. In desperation, people have been making the road trip into the capital anyway, allowing money to be extracted from them by the young men manning the road blocks along the way. Inevitably, the result is that many of the angry, young, unemployed men have spied a business opportunity. The result is widespread banditry along the highways. I’m really unhappy about this trend.

How did things get so bad?

Ultimately, the biggest reason is universal corruption. Government corruption got quite a bit worse under the previous president, and Jovenel Moise was elected under the same party banner. The previous congressional elections were held without eliminating candidates with a criminal history, so a number of senators and deputies have a criminal past. The political struggle is between different corrupt groups, all of which have no problem with sacrificing the Haitian people to gain or maintain power. It’s much easier to steal if your own people control the national treasury.

The Haitian constitution of 1986 contains a lot of checks and balances. For example, the President must appoint a Prime Minister who runs the day-to-day affairs of the country, but the Senate must ratify the president’s nomination. Unless a senator is from the president’s own political party, he/she will typically need to receive some sort of payment before voting in favor. Strangely, a senator recently admitted to taking $100,000 for voting in favor of Jovenel’s choice for prime minister without any apology whatsoever. While checks and balances seem like a good idea on paper, or seem to work in America’s own constitution, in Haiti’s case the result is complete gridlock.

Haiti has a large cohort of single, unemployed, angry young men who feel like they have had their future stolen and they don’t know who to blame. In addition to the lack of opportunities in the economy, matters are made worse because Haiti is a (unofficially) polygamous society and, like other polygamous societies around the world, it disenfranchises young men. Two things have come along in the past 10 years to make this group even more volatile: motorcycles and smart phones. Those two things together mean that whatever perceived outrage might occur at a particular moment can immediately spawn a group of angry rock throwers. They feed off one another’s anger, and are keen to impress each other with acts of bravado. These young men want desperately to create a life for themselves and to be part of something that’s important. People in politics use this group as much as they can to try to achieve their goals.

In the past, the Haitian army would have put a stop to civil unrest. After the army was disbanded, the police took on that role. At the moment, the police are very unhappy with their situation. I heard that they haven’t been paid in the past 4 months, which may or may not be accurate. The police actually joined protesters marching in Port au Prince on the weekend. Even at the best of times, the police are a weak institution with a very top-heavy command structure that discourages independent action. They don’t have the capacity to deal with the present crisis.

What is going to happen next?

I don’t know. But I have an idea of what is NOT going to happen.

There is not going to be a foreign intervention. For decades, every time the situation in Haiti has gotten out of control there has been a foreign intervention. Haitians from all social classes seem convinced that we are about to have a foreign intervention again, but I strongly believe the situation has changed. The U.S. is concerned with internal politics and the current administration has little interest in third world countries. The recent U.N. mission is widely considered a failure, so they aren’t coming back soon.

When protesters block roads and throw rocks, they are largely playing to an international audience that isn’t looking. When they say “we’re going to make the president leave” they really mean to say that they’re going to make the USA decide to make him leave.

A common refrain I’m hearing is that things are going to get better, because they can’t get worse. Of course, they can get a lot worse. Things may get worse or they may get better, but it’s hard to see a way through at this point. Perhaps secret meetings are going on even now and people are figuring out a way through the mess, but I doubt it.

What should happen?

I don’t know. I don’t know if there should be another foreign intervention. The previous interventions haven’t worked. They have been implemented with the internal politics of foreign countries in mind, not the good of the Haitian people. Some Haitians state that “the foreigners” should either occupy Haiti altogether or leave it alone to figure out its own issues. Haiti’s socio-political issues are very, very complex, but a dynamic that makes it worse is that Haitians have come to expect solutions to come from abroad rather than from within.

I don’t believe a new leader coming along is going to fix everything. It’s wishful thinking. As far as I can see, there are no “good guys”. Worse than that, if a “good guy” did come along, I don’t see how he/she could make a difference while working within Haiti’s political system. There are currently no consequences for a wide range of evil behaviors if you are part of the political or elite social class. A well-intentioned leader, focused on eliminating corruption, would likely find themselves assassinated.

I don’t know if it’s possible, but I would really like to see parts of Haiti’s constitution rewritten to avoid the continual political deadlock. I’ve heard discussion of a new constitution where the elected president leads the country directly without a prime minister, the chamber of deputies is eliminated, and the senate is reduced by half. It sounds like a good idea to me. There could be fewer checks and balances, while creating ways to ensure greater transparency. The idea of centralizing power to improve a corrupt system may seem counterintuitive, but there needs to be someone in charge for there to be accountability. With the current system, everyone blames everyone else, the truth of the matter is elusive and accountability doesn’t exist.

For my part, I’m going to keep doing the work at Clean Water for Haiti. We’ve found a way to help the Haitian people advance that doesn’t involve politics. We don’t get involved in politics. Our program is mainly for the poorest of the poor, people who wouldn’t dream of throwing a rock or blocking a highway. Even though things are unpleasant, we’ll wait out the violence, anti-foreigner sentiment and fuel lines. We’re helping people, and even though it doesn’t always feel like it, we’re helping to make Haiti a better place.

~Chris

Peyi Lock

Sep 28, 2019

“Peyi lock” are words we’ve been hearing more frequently in the past year. It translates to “country lockdown” and it’s a statement about current political issues getting so bad, the country is locked down and people can’t go about their day in a normal way.

Since last summer Haiti has been building steam toward a major outbreak of civil unrest. Chris and I have been watching it slowly roll, and after each of us spending more than a decade in country, we knew it was just a matter of time until things blew up completely.

Last summer the sitting president announced a major hike in gas prices, which is something that needs to happen, but the method was a major shock to the system, so to speak and people revolted. Since then, every few months or so, we’ve been going through days of the country being locked down, or “peyi lock”, as people protest the current government. These “lockdowns” take the form of roads being blocked by rocks, rubble, and burning tires and are manned by protestors. They can and have and do get violent at times, and in the really bad ones, police show up to try and restore order, which can result in tear gas or shooting. It’s not good, but it’s the way things work here in Haiti. This method of getting the government’s attention has been used for generations, and to the people, feels like the only way to be heard.

From an outsiders perspective it seems extreme, but I come from a country where my vote matters and my voice can be heard in many ways, so I can understand the frustration of feeling like you have to resort to extremes to have anyone pay attention. The sad part is that Haiti has built up a reputation because of this cycle, and so many of the good things that are here get missed because of it.

For the past few weeks we’ve been experiencing gas shortages and supply issues. There IS fuel in country, but businesses are not selling it consistently to put pressure on the government to raise prices. That does need to happen because Haiti was getting subsidized fuel for a long time, and the government set the price per gallon based on that, but when that supply ran out prices didn’t go up to reflect the regular market price, so Haiti has been selling fuel at a deficit for years.

As the lack of fuel increased throughout the country, people started to protest. Last week we had to stop sending staff out because we couldn’t get fuel, or because they couldn’t get where they needed to go because of roads being blocked by protestors. This week things have escalated. On Thursday rumors were circulating that Thursday would be a bit quieter, but for everyone to prepare for the “bataille finale” – the final battle – on Friday.

We’re never quite sure what to believe or listen to when rumors start to fly, so our usual approach is to just keep doing what we do every day, and see what happens without getting worked up or making big plans. CWH is very self-contained, in that we have a full solar system that powers everything for us, including our water pump that pumps water from our well to our holding tank for use around the compound. As long as our staff can get to work, we can work. And all through the unrest for the past year they’ve showed up every day, even when things were bad, so we just kept working. Yesterday we did exactly the same thing – we got up and we went to work, and so did the rest of our staff. Many were late because of road blocks between home and work, but they eventually got here and did a full day.

As the morning went on reports of major unrest through the country started to spread, including photos and videos. It’s hard to describe just how “big” this is, other than saying that Chris was here through 2003 and 2004 when things got really bad before Aristide left, and this is like that. In the 14 years that I’ve lived here, things haven’t been on this level.

I/we always try to be prudent in what we share, because we don’t want to exaggerate or blow situations out of proportion. Haiti already has enough bad press as it is. So, we try to wait and see what will happen, then share what we know to be true so those that follow what we’re doing have accurate information.

So this is what we know to be true right now…

Yesterday much of the country was shut down because of large protests. In major cities, especially Port au Prince, huge mobs took to the streets. Some were peaceful and marched and chanted. Others caused destruction of homes and businesses. Some were also violent. A lot of stuff was burned and looted. In some locations police stations were over run by gangs of people. When this happens it’s an indication that the scales have tipped, and it’s scary because everyone knows the police are already ill-equipped in situations like this. These are all things that have been verified by photos and videos, they aren’t rumor.

In our community things were quiet. The surrounding communities had roadblocks and some issues, but other than not being able to go anywhere, we weren’t affected by those. Our community has always had a reputation of being peaceful and calm and as one that doesn’t get involved in politics. We’re thankful for that because it means the mission is safe and that our staff can come and work when others aren’t able to do so.

We aren’t sure what will happen here in the next few weeks, but we know to prepare for this to continue, and we are as best we can. We’re asking you to pray for Haiti right now, and to follow along with what’s happening. One of the best news sources for what happens here is the Miami Herald. You can also sign up for our email updates and I’d encourage you to follow our Facebook page. We’ve recently started doing video updates so we can get a bit more personal in how we share.

Thanks for praying for this beautiful, complex country that we love so much.

~Leslie

A Year In Review

Jan 11, 2018

I feel like we get to the end of the year and we’re always kind of crossing our fingers and hoping that things will end well. We know we’ve worked hard and done everything we can, but we’re also in the midst of holiday giving and seeing how that will affect how we set direction for the coming year. It’s like holding your breath to wait and see where everything will land.

I’m sure there are people out there that are scratching their heads and wondering why we would be wondering what the coming year will look like and waiting on funding, but that’s just a bare bones reality of what we do as a non-profit. With being a non-profit in general. As much as we dislike it, we recognize that funding determines how hard and fast we can work in the coming months and year. That’s just how it is. We don’t like it, but we have no choice other than to roll with it.

I’ll be honest, last year was a bit of a stretch funding wise, but once again we saw a loaves and fishes situation where we always seemed to have just what we needed when we needed it. We went into our holiday giving campaign crossing our fingers and saw some slow momentum but by the time we finished work and wrapped the year up with our Christmas staff party I think we were accepting that it wasn’t going to be an amazing success.

Until it was.

You guys, we set the goal of raising $20,000 between Canada and the US in the months of November and December with our Make Waves Campaign. After all the totals were added up and things were converted into US dollars, we had over $100,000 donated!!!

$25,000 is a grant from the International Foundation that we applied for earlier in the year, and were awarded in December. $10,000 was donated specifically to the purchase of a new work truck. We’re SO close to having all the funding for that. The rest was simply donated for the filter project, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Humbled, actually.

This was the biggest donation response we’ve had in years, and it was so exciting to see things roll in, and know that we were going into 2018 in a much better financial position than we’d been in for the past few years. Sharing the news with our staff this week as we started back to work brought a lot of smiles. They know that they are such a vital part of making this all happen, and that you see the work they’re doing for their country. Thank you for encouraging them through your support.

Looking back over 2017 I can tell you that we installed slightly more filters than in 2016, and we’re happy about that. Did we reach the goal we had set? No, but we did a lot of really good work, and this year we’re going to keep pushing forward.

In 2017 we welcomed new board members and spent some really good time as a team this past summer deciding on where to focus our energy. In two weeks we’ll be meeting again and growing things even more, and we’re all really excited about that. I wish you could meet every one of our board members in person because they’re a solid, committed group of people that love us well and want to do what it takes to make Clean Water for Haiti an amazing organization that is truly helping Haitian families. It’s a privilege to work with them.

We saw our guest house finished! We still need to install kitchen cupboards, but we opened our doors for guests in November and it was heavily used all through December with rave reviews. I honestly think the building turned out better than we ever imagined that it would, and we’re so excited to see how it will be used to host people who come for trainings this year, who join us on Vision Trips, and for friends and family who want to visit or need to just have a place to get away and rest. Did you know that Chris and I also volunteer with the Canadian Embassy as wardens, which are people work as a liaison between the Embassy and citizens in country in times of crisis or emergencies? They stopped by in December to check out our facilities so they knew what was available in the event they need to shelter people. We’re so happy that this building is available for so many uses.

One of my personal high points for the later half of 2017 was having Kim join our staff. Over the years the work load here has grown and changed, and my role has moved from being extra help to being vital, and I’ve spent the past few years feeling overwhelmed because I couldn’t do it all. Kim has been such a great and much needed addition to our team and has just fit right in, in a way that we never could have planned ourselves.

Our staff. We love them so much. They’re such a hardworking group of people. While we had to let go of some last year, we also added people to our team, and we’re seeing them grow and take on more responsibility.

YOU! You’ve been such a highlight of the past year for us. Out of all the donations we received in November and December, a large part of them were from brand new donors. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who gave of their hard earned finances to support the work we’re doing. Thank you to those of you who comment on social media, or leave blog comments. We read them all and feel so encouraged when you take a few minutes to say hi. Thank you for praying for us. We know that not everyone that supports Clean Water for Haiti shares our faith views, and we love that. For those that do, your prayer support mean the world to us. Please know that when we say we can do any of this without ALL of you, we mean it from the very bottoms of our hearts, and it always feels inadequate.

So, what’s coming in 2018???

Well, we have a grant to process through! And we have a couple of Rotary grants in the works that we’re hoping to see distributed this year. There are a lot of people working hard behind the scenes in the US and in Haiti to make that happen.

We know we’ll be getting a new truck!!! We’re so close to reaching our goal, only about $10,000 more to go. Being able to make that purchase is going to see two years of fundraising come to an end, and that feels really good. It’s going to mean that we’ll be able to do more deliveries and offer more repair and maintenance services faster. We’re very excited about what this is going to mean for our program.

With Kim on staff this will be the first year in quite a while where we’ll be able to keep operations up and running through the summer months while our family takes our annual vacation. This is something we’ve been pushing towards for years, and we’re so excited that we’ll be able to offer uninterrupted service to our filter recipients and keep our staff working through the summer.

We’re able to host Vision Trips once again! So excited to welcome people to Clean Water for Haiti and let them see what we do in person. If you’ve thought about coming to see us check out the Vision Trip page for more info.

This will be the first year since 2014 where we won’t be dividing our time and energy between our day to day operations and construction. It feels SO GOOD to know that while we have some small projects to do, we’re DONE all of our buildings at our new site, and that we can get back to focusing 100% on doing what we do best – getting clean water to people.

There’s so much more I could say, but I feel like the best way to leave things is to just let you know that we’re excited for 2018! How could we not be?!? I’m looking forward to sharing all of it with you as we charge full speed ahead.

~Leslie

Hurricane Matthew – Does It Make A Difference?

Oct 15, 2016

It’s been over a week since Hurricane Matthew blasted through Haiti. There are so many feelings and thoughts swirling around in my head and heart, and it’s been hard to sort it all out. I don’t think I have yet, and I don’t know when I will. Little nuggets keep popping to the surface, and I’m thankful that they’re small because that’s what I can digest right now. Like so many here, I’ve been seeing posts from friends and other organizations on the ground that are helping with relief work down south. It’s devastating. Heartbreaking. I wish we could be there and on the ground, but I know that’s not our role in this.

It all feels overwhelming at times.

Yesterday I was thinking about the clash of emotions and thoughts. The conversations in my head where I would remind myself that we do something really well, and we’ve had experience with this kind of thing and know how we can best be supporting relief efforts right now. And yet, I would daydream about what other things we could be doing. Then I would remind myself that I needed to get filter forms prepared for another delivery day and get stuff ready for the guys to take out. That tomorrow we would be building filters again and preparing stuff for the next batch of installations that are most likely happening on Monday. That there’s a Community Promoter taking orders and collecting the co-pay that we require from each household so they invest in their filter and care for it well. All of these pieces working together like a well oiled machine, because it is. We know how to do this well from many years of trial and error, from making mistakes, from working with the local community and our Haitian staff, and we keep tweaking. Always trying to do it better.

I think about the press notes released from the WHO (World Health Organization) this week. The documented cases of Cholera throughout the country are starting to climb. The numbers grow most rapidly in the south, but the Artibonite is in there too. It’s several departments away from the southern regions, but showing the third highest increases in the country. This is our area. This is where we’ve been working for years.

I feel overwhelmed again because Cholera brings with it a sense of immediacy. For those with weakened immune systems, it can kill in 24 hours. The Artibonite is the area that has been most affected by this stealer of life since 2010 when cases were first reported. I want to shift into high gear. To get out there faster. To push harder.

But then I remember that this is not who we are. It’s not what we do.

No. Harder and faster is not the way we work. We work steady. We work calculated. We work in a way that means we can provide the follow up and care in line with our initial output of filters. Our whole goal is to be a constant presence for the long term. We’re not running a sprint, we’re running the marathon. We know how to do this well, and the answer right now, no matter how much we might feel we could be doing, is to stick with what we know works. What others have affirmed works.

I find my thoughts shifting from what I wish we could do, to what we have done.

And then I feel the conversation turn a bit.

We have been working in the Artibonite for years. We have been working in the Artibonite for years.

We have installed thousands of filters there. We have installed THOUSANDS of filters there.

I think of the number of new Cholera cases again. And I remember when the outbreak started back in 2010. The cases climbed by the hundreds every week. It was out of control. It came so fast, and so hard, that people were blindsided. Running to try and catch up. Running to try and save lives. To educated people on how to protect themselves. To provide access to medicine, water treatment, help…

And I think about the numbers slowly going up. No case is a good case, but what if those thousands of bio-sand filters weren’t there this week? Would the numbers be going up by the hundreds again?

And I feel overwhelmed.

The full weight of what we’ve been working so hard for, of everything we do here at Clean Water for Haiti hits me like a wall.

It’s working.

People have filters. Not everyone, but thousands upon thousands do. They’re getting clean water. They know how to protect themselves from this killer. We have communities waiting for filters because they’ve seen their friends and family and neighbours with one and they know it works. People who have filters aren’t getting Cholera. Plain fact.

We’ve done this thing, pushed at it and worked so hard for so many years because we know it works. But in that, we don’t get to see every life affected. We don’t because those people don’t get sick. We can’t count numbers of people that are protected because of the work we do, because it’s not possible. You can only count the ones that aren’t, the ones that don’t make it. We often talk about the fact that we will never truly know how many lives we’ve helped save because of what we do, simply because those people are still walking around today, healthy. Those kids might be going to school and sassing their parents. Moms might get to see their babies grow up, and grandparents live into old age. Dads might be out working in the fields to provide for their families. We will never know how many.

My heart feels so overwhelmed right now, but it’s not from feeling helpless this time, it’s from gratitude.

Gratitude that we get to be part of this. Gratitude that all the hard work, the worry, the sweat, and even the tears over the years has been worth it. So very worth it.

It settles in. This deep knowing.

There are thousands of people at work in the south right now helping in relief. This is their role. They are saving lives after this disaster.

And we are here. This is our role. Continuing to do what we’ve been doing all along – preventing a different kind of disaster.

So does it make a difference? This work we do? The support you give? All the dollars sent and used here in Haiti over the years?

I know it does. Thousands upon thousands in homes all through the Artibonite know it does.

Thank you for supporting the work we’re doing, whether you’re sharing about us with people in your circle or sending your hard earned finances. You are helping us save lives here. That isn’t an exaggeration, that is a fact.

~Leslie

Hurricane Matthew – How To Help

Oct 5, 2016

Reports have started coming in from all around Haiti to the expat/missionary network that we’re a part of. The damage in the south is BAD. There are no other words for it. Last night as it got dark and I had to run out and turn off the generator, I waded through 2 inch deep water running down our driveway. The rain kept coming and I was sure that we were going to wake up to reports of flooding in Gonaives, a city about 45 minutes north of us that has flooded badly, twice, in the past 12 years. Thankfully all the canals held and the city is just fine.

image source

As we’ve waited to hear news of the areas that would need the most help, Chris and I have been able to talk a bit about how Clean Water for Haiti can best be involved in the coming weeks and months.

Here’s the bottom line – we’re a development organization. And as much as we want to jump in and help with relief efforts, we know from experience that that isn’t our strong suit. Where we shine as an organization is in the long term. When everyone else pulls out and is done with the immediate needs, we follow behind and help families move to that next level, to being independent and caring for their own needs.

We know that one of the major needs after a natural disaster of this nature is clean water. But, aside from the fact that roads and bridges are out, we just aren’t the people to provide that in the south of Haiti. Our filters need to be installed in established households and we need to be able to provide multiple follow up visits through the first year. We can’t get to where the greatest need is right now, and it’s not the right time even if we could.

So, how can Clean Water for Haiti be involved right now?

By continuing to do what we do well.

It’s a fact that after a natural disaster of this kind there are spikes in water borne disease. Sanitation facilities, if they exist, are destroyed. Flooding can spread things like Cholera from one water source to many others. People who have been displaced may be carriers, so they carry the disease from one location to another. This is going to be a reality in the coming weeks and months here in Haiti. Many have already started talking about the issue as reality.

This is where we come in.

By continuing to work with our network of Community Promoters in the places where we already have an established presence, we’re going to be able to further strengthen communities. Rather than responding to a Cholera spike, we’re already working to help prevent a further spread. Families who already have filters in times like these become first responders to their friends and neighbours, which is a beautiful thing. It’s Haitians being strong and helping themselves, which is what we’re all about.

Now, this is where YOU come in.

There will be a huge need for relief support for Haiti in the coming weeks, but if you would rather think long term with us and support lasting investment in Haiti we would love it if you would choose to support the work of Clean Water for Haiti. $100 will provide the funding needed to build, deliver, install and follow up on a filter for a Haitian family. We are also desperately in need of a new truck to help meet the demand for filters.

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If you are interested in supporting some kind of specific relief work we would encourage you to be very intentional about which organization(s) you support. Much was learned after the earthquake here, and I’m sure we can all think of articles we’ve read or things we’ve seen or heard on the news about aid done poorly in Haiti. When you consider who to support, please give to smaller, grass roots organizations that have people here on the ground full time. These organizations are already established, they have relationships within the communities they serve, they have an understanding of the culture that will allow them to be more effective, often their overhead is lower, and they will know how to work more effectively with the communities they want to serve.

As you consider giving, I would also ask you to give much needed funding rather than collecting items for Haiti unless you have been given a specific needs list. Funding allows organizations on the ground to buy from local merchants, whether it’s a family selling shoes and clothing in the market, or local grocery stores and warehouses when buying food and materials to rebuild. Buying local does double duty – it meets a specific need, but also puts income back in the hands of the families that so desperately need it right now. When we want to help rebuild, we should want to do that in a way that truly loves people, even if it leaves us feeling a little less involved.

Lastly, while I know there is a huge desire to come and be “hands and feet” let’s remember that Haiti has over 10 million people on this tiny island. Let’s love people well by letting them have the opportunity to be employed by these local organizations as the cleaning and rebuilding happens. Let’s let men and women know the dignity of providing for their families and building into their communities. Let’s honor the skills that so many have and let them lead in the construction realm as this all unfolds. If you want to be “hands and feet” ask the organizations that are here on the ground how you can best do that, then do it, and do it with all your heart.

One of the beautiful things that has already come out of this disaster is that organizations and their staff all over Haiti are sharing one voice as we ask people to be deliberate, intentional, and thoughtful as they help. Let’s work together to come alongside the people of Haiti as we help them rebuild, and do it in a way that empowers them.

Thank you for your continued prayers in the past few days. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti as they once again rise and show the world how strong they are.

~Leslie