I have a lot of thoughts swirling around so this will probably be more of a stream of consciousness type post than anything that comes out well written and cohesive. That’s just the way things are rolling today, so we’re going to go with it.
This week has been a hard week here in Haiti. The country is in turmoil. There are so many reasons for why, and I always hesitate to be the one to try to explain, because Haiti is so complex that it’s never just one thing. I/we, don’t want to sound like any kind of expert on the country, the problems, or what the solutions might be. When I first moved here I heard most of the seasoned expats I met say things like, “The longer I live here, the less I know.” I now understand the truth of that. Not only is it a nod to the many layers and facets of Haiti, but also a means of recognizing that quick assumptions and solutions are often not the best course or right in the end. Complex problems require complex solutions that are often built over time.
So, you won’t get deep explanations of what exactly is happening here. It’s many things. Those things are overlapped and intertwined and can’t be separated. What I can tell you is how things are here. On this little oneish acre plot of land that Clean Water for Haiti calls home, nestled in a bowl of a valley in the Artibonite district of Haiti.
On Monday only 3 employees out of 26 made it to work for the start of the day. All through peyi lok (locked country) in 2019 we didn’t have a day with that few staff here first thing in the morning. Some days they walked long distances to get here. But now, with the insecurity being what it is and the lack of fuel, it wasn’t worth the risk. We want people to be able to work, because they have families to support, but we want them to be safe. Later in the morning a couple more guys arrived, but it was a quiet day all around, and it felt strange. Haiti is rarely quiet. There is so much life here.
Tuesday and Wednesday things were opened back up in our larger area, so people came in and the guys even did a delivery on Wednesday. We know that with roads blocked through the country and fuel shortages supplies are dwindling, so Tuesday Daniel did a run to St. Marc to buy things like cement and paint so the guys had what they need to keep building filters, even if they can’t be delivering. After the past few years we’ve all learned to take these windows of opportunity when they’re there, and plan for the possibility of hunkering down. On Wednesday the guys told us they thought they could get a delivery out, and they did. 33 more families got filters in their home that day.
Yesterday our delivery truck pulled out of the yard at about 6:15 am. A couple of hours later it pulled back into the yard. They were headed to the Artibonite, but hit a road block north of St. Marc. They waited to see if police would break it up, but after a time realized that wasn’t going to happen and came back. As the day progressed reports from all over the country were showing that things were “cho” as we say – hot. Port au Prince and Petionville were locked down with protests and gunfire. Shelter in place warnings as gangs were at war with police and each other. This is a Haiti we haven’t seen in the time we’ve been here.
I know that reading the news about Haiti the focus is on that war, and it is real. There are places we no longer go because it is not safe. But, there are places in Haiti that are still quiet and safe, and we are living in one of them. And we’re so thankful for that. As the guys came to work this week I found myself listening to them joke around and laugh with each other and the juxtaposition hit me hard. Their country is experiencing a civil war, and yet here they could step away from that, do something that is important and beneficial to the country, and breathe a bit. For those 8 hours they were in a safe space.
The importance of this is not lost on me. Not at all. Back in 2013-2015 when we made plans and built these facilities, we were only thinking about using resources well and planning for growth. We had no idea that the big solar system we installed as a means to stop paying for generator fuel, would be one of the very reasons we could keep working full time when most of the country shut down, over and over, because there was no fuel. We had no idea that the little plot of land in the middle of banana fields would become a safe space where we could all poze (rest) in the midst of chaos.
Our motto here at Clean Water for Haiti is “Empowering. Improving. Sustaining.” I’ll be honest, I think mottos are a bit funny. But I like ours because it’s become a check point for us over the years. Is what we’re doing empowering people to care for themselves? Are we improving their lives and the way we do things as we go? The country? And is what we’re doing sustainable? Does it lead to long term change where we can step back from that initial involvement and people still have what they need?
As our work has continued on, we’ve gotten better at it. We’ve grown and hired more staff who have become well trained, effective employees with skills they can use beyond CWH. But more than that, THEY have built a reputation for Clean Water for Haiti that is one of being a solid organization that supports the communities we work in. An organization that shows up, works within the culture, and keeps coming back to provide support. This is not Chris and I, this is THEM. I’ve been on the truck when it pulls into an area and people are waving and calling our technicians by name, because they know them.
In the past few years that hard earned reputation has served our team well. There have been many times when roads have been blocked, and the people blocking them see our trucks and let them through. Why? Because they know our staff are helping provide something important, that is for the people. Daniel told me a story a while back when we were concerned about cement shortages. We buy cement 120 sacks at a time, a full truck load. At our current rate of production, that’s about two weeks worth of filters. Daniel went to the store where there was a line of people all wanting to buy cement. The store owner saw Daniel and said he would sell to him, because he knew what the cement was being used for and that was more important to him than other construction projects people might be doing. Favor.
These have been the things that have kept us all going over the past few years. The things that keep reminding us that we need to keep pushing. It’s the reason the guys did back to back deliveries almost every day last month. If you didn’t see our social posts or get our e-newsletter, you missed the big news – they installed 606 filters last month! We’ve never done work like that in the history of the mission. Until last month our record was somewhere around 450 filters in one month. These guys are motivated, and they’re pushing hard. Because it matters.
Last Friday we celebrated that huge accomplishment with a big staff lunch. Before we handed out payroll Chris and I took a few minutes to thank everyone for their hard work, and let them know that we see it. That yes, they work hard because of a paycheck, but that more than that they work hard because they know it makes a difference for Haiti. That every filter is helping a family be more self-sufficient. At one point I said, “We know that part of the reason so many people want filters is because water trucks don’t have fuel, and there is no fuel for water treatment businesses to run their equipment. The filters you’re installing are giving families some stability when nothing feels stable right now.” They all started nodding, because they know it’s true. This week as we’ve been watching from here what’s happening in other parts of the country I’ve heard many people say there is no water. They were worried about not getting treated water.
When nothing feels stable right now, our staff are doing something that is bringing some stability. By having a filter families can do that one thing to take care of themselves when they have no control over all the others.
And that’s it. That’s why we’re still here. It’s why it matters. It’s why Chris and I get up before the sun comes up and make sure the gate is unlocked so our team can start their work day. It’s why we work hard to make sure the financial resources are there, so they can do their jobs. It’s why we’ve worked hard to put things in place so that CWH can stand on its own, and not be reliant on outside sources for things like power and water. Because we have work to do.
This week has been such a good reminder that there is always more to see. What seems like one thing on the surface, may have many other layers. That the one thing we thought we were doing, might have so much more purpose. N’ap we.
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