Haiti | Clean Water for Haiti

The Mechanical Side Of Things

Jan 27, 2017

If you’ve been following along with Clean Water for Haiti for any length of time, you’ve probably heard or seen us refer to the need for a new truck. Our trucks work hard every day, to the extent that it can be difficult to explain what that looks like.

This post isn’t going to be an appeal for a new truck. I’ve already done that and we’re on our way to the halfway point of having the funds to purchase one. We’re hoping to do that sometime this year, and crossing our fingers that we don’t have any issues before then that would mean a lot of down time and people not getting filters.

No, today I’m not going to talk about that. Instead, I’m going to try and give you a little window into how hard these beasts work, and what goes into maintaining them.

Yesterday Richard, one of our drivers, went out to buy a load of cinder blocks for the walls in the new guest house/training center. Most of the drive was on the highway, with the exception of the few minutes on our road getting out to the highway, and going from the highway up to the block yard – about 5 minutes on a gravel road.

Mid-way through the morning I got a call to say that he had a flat tire and he was going to be late coming back because of having to change over to the spare, etc. Typically, if we get a flat and time allows, we go right to the next tire repair boss, a guy on the side of the road with an air compressor and a small fire in a piston that he uses to heat patches on the tire tubes. It’s really fascinating to watch them do the whole thing by hand.

Because of the nature of what we do and the roads we have to drive on, we always make sure that every vehicle has a full size, good condition spare on it so we can swap it out and keep going, then get the flat fixed as soon as possible. Very rarely do we let a vehicle off site without a good spare that’s ready to go. Sometimes, but rarely, a spare has lost air from sitting so long, but that’s usually easily remedied.

Richard eventually got back and everyone went about their day as usual.

This morning Chris asked me if I knew that Richard had a blow out yesterday. I told him I was just told the tire was “ampan”, which means “broken down” or not working or flat. Creole has a variety of meanings for a single word, so you just sort of pick the best one for the context. The other day the car overheated and while I waited for it to cool down so I could put more coolant in it many people came by asking me if the car was “ampan”.

When Chris said “blow out” i just thought that a part of the tire had, you know, blown out. And then the whole thing had gone flat, the spare had to be put on, etc.

Well, I was wrong…

When Preval, another of our staff, went to put it in the car this morning so Chris could have it taken off the rim, and get another spare mounted on it, this is what he was moving:

Yep, a complete blow out.

Many times we like to talk about businesses, and how there’s a “cost to doing business”. Very rarely do we apply that to the non-profit setting. But, whether we apply it or not, it is there. When we have to do the math to figure out what our cost per filter is, one of the things we have to factor into that is maintenance on our work trucks. They’re a vital part to our program. We can’t deliver or do repair visits on filters without them, and each full load of filters we take out is about 5 tonnes of weight. Many of the roads that take our staff into the communities we serve are nothing more than a dirt track. Sometimes they’re crossing rivers. Sometimes they get stuck up to the axels in mud, and have to unload everything to get unstuck, then reload it again.

When we talk about “the cost of doing” business in relation to our trucks, one of those maintenance items/expenses is tires. I had a car when I lived back in Canada before moving to Haiti and I cringed when I had to replace tires. My dad is a truck driver, and when he owned his own trucks, I remember many an hour passed in the waiting area of the tire shop while things got changed out. When it comes time to change out a set of tires on one of the trucks we’re always aware of the expense, but it doesn’t ever make the sticker shock any less.

You see, each of our work trucks has 6 wheels. And we need to put good quality, beefy treaded tires on them to get where we need to go. All in, when it’s time to replace the tires we have to buy at least 6 new ones, usually at the tune of about $1600 US. If we need to replace a spare, that’s one more tire. Typically we’ll take one of the best condition old tires and use it as a spare, and probably keep a few of the others for that purpose if we can.

I share this just as a way of expanding your view of what’s involved in what we do here. We often say “it’s not just about filters” because there are so many things that need to work together to make the filters possible. When we do fundraising, and you hear us talking about “cost per filter” now you know more of what’s involved in getting to that number, and some of the things we have to stay on top of doing this thing we do.

~Leslie

Welcome 2017!

Jan 20, 2017

I know the blog has been a bit quiet, but it’s not because things haven’t been happening around here. I’ve been meaning to sit down and write a post for the past two weeks, ever since we got back to work on the 3rd.

December ended up being fairly busy here at the mission. We installed over 90 filters, which we’re pretty proud of considering we finished work on the 17th. As always, we hosted our staff Christmas party. There was a bunch of food, games, and gifts, and everyone had a good time. It’s also when we hand out year end bonuses and vacation pay. In Haiti it’s law to provide a 13th month of salary for all regular employees, so it’s something that our staff look forward to every year. We like to do it right before we take our Christmas break, because it means that they’ll have extra money over holidays, especially since it’s Christmas and New Years.

New Year’s day is also Haiti’s Independence Day. Haiti is the only black republic to have won it’s independence from a slave revolt. One of the biggest cultural things that happens on Independence Day, is that people make and eat Soup Joumou – pumpkin soup. It’s full of root vegetables and meat, and was something that slaves weren’t allowed to eat, while their masters did, so when Haiti won it’s independence they marked it by eating Soup Joumou. Every year it’s a reminder that they are free.

We had a great Christmas break. For our family it was a time to relax and visit with friends. We travel during the summer for a bout six weeks every year, and while it’s fun to get away, it’s a lot of traveling and being in other people’s homes, which can get tiring and is a break in routine. It’s nice to be able to be off work and be at home with no big schedule or anywhere we need to go. We don’t get many days like that here, so it’s a special time of the year for us. We do miss family during the holidays, but we’re also creating new traditions with our kids that are special to us.

Just before the Christmas break we had to fire a long term employee. It was hard. We hated that we had to do it, but we didn’t have a choice. I won’t go into details about reasons, because those are private for everyone involved, and really not necessary. As an employer it’s just a part of doing the job, and it never gets easier. The employee had been with us for about 8 years and was our foreman, so we needed to find someone to replace him, and we’ve learned that someone from within versus a new hire is always best if possible. We met with another long term employee to see if he would take on the role, and after some conversation and thought he agreed.

While he started in the job just before Christmas, Evens has taken things to a whole new level for us, starting on the first day back at work. As we gathered around and did morning prayer and the other things we do to start our day it came time for him to assign everyone their work. Before he did that he told us all that he wanted to share something, and proceeded to read a page long speech he’d written encouraging the staff to work with character and integrity, remembering that we’re here to serve the people of Haiti. He reminded them that it’s not just about what we do out on deliveries or follow up or repair visits, but all of the little things that happen every day – even things like picking up garbage, keeping the work yard clean, and respecting each other. Chris and I walked back into the office and almost broke out in a happy dance because we were so excited. None of this had come from us, it was all his idea and his initiative.

Since then we’ve watched the work get more organized, the depots are all cleaned out and organized, and Evens has been so very intentional about making sure the work runs well. Last week he spent time walking around the property with Edoise, the 72 year old man who serves as our care taker. They looked for very specific things that needed attention and Evens came along side Edoise as a leader in a way that we had wanted, but hadn’t witnessed before. What was a difficult situation has become one that has pushed our work to a new level, and just constantly reminds us that what we’re doing isn’t just about filters. It’s about building into people and teaching and training and coming along side them.

As we keep moving into this new year, we’re excited. This week the guys are laying plumbing lines in the new guest house/training center. We’re hoping that building will be done by June so we can get back to hosting our Training Classes and Vision Trips in the fall. We just hired two new employees who are now getting trained in all aspects of what we do. We’ve done two deliveries this month so far. Our Board of Directors is already in the early stages of planning our annual retreat where we meet together face to face and work on making this an even better organization.

I hope this year is one that is full of exciting new things for you, and that you’ll stay up to date with what’s going on here for all of us. There’s never a dull moment!

~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 Day 2… or 3?

Oct 4, 2016

Hurricane Matthew finally touched down in the south of Haiti early this morning. Reports from other expats and missionaries are coming in, but until all the rain passes I don’t think we’ll have a full picture of what the country is looking at as far as damage and what needs to be done.

The last few days have been long. The anticipation was nauseating. All of the two to three day out predictions had the storm kicking into full gear on Sunday night, and here we are a full two days later finally feeling like we’re on the back end of it.

The waiting for this thing was brutal. Gut wrenching, really. I’ve been here for 11 years. In fact, today is my 11 year Haiti anniversary. In that time I’ve seen some active hurricane seasons, but nothing of this degree. Knowing it was coming, and having no idea how bad or how long it would take to get here and pass through was hard. Knowing that it wasn’t a case of IF there would be damage, but rather how much and where. It was the first hurricane at our new facilities. We had no idea how they would hold up. My kids are older now and much more aware of things going on around them. I had no idea how they would hold up. And, to top it all off, Chris left for the US on Wednesday and won’t be back for another week. So it’s just me and the kids and I was hoping and praying that things wouldn’t be too crazy.

Things in the past two days were ridiculously calm. Eerily calm. Yesterday as I wandered around the yard and stood on our deck looking out over our neighboring fields I couldn’t help but wonder about the birds and other animals. Did they know this thing was coming? Would the leave? I found a tree frog on one of our window panes last night as I was closing up, so I don’t think he got them memo that evacuation might be in his best interest.

Things stayed calm all through the night. This morning at about 5:30 the rain started. All morning it was light, but steady. Around 10 am the wind started to pick up a bit, but would go in bursts. The kids and I were hanging out in our room where they were watching movie after movie to stay occupied, while I kept checking for updates from our expat and missionary group on Facebook. I kept seeing the large work yard roof fluttering in the bursts of wind. This was the biggest question mark with the new property. Would they hold when we had a big storm, or would they just blow off. Out of everything that was the one thing that I felt confident would get damaged.

I didn’t have to wait long to see if I was right. Minutes later I saw it flap up, and then down, like a piece of paper being caught in the wind. I need to tell you, this sucker is made up of 2×4 steel beams embedded in concrete at the top of posts. Chewie, our friend that helped us with so much of the construction last year, and his wife Kendra are staying with us after a year absence while they get their house cleaned up and liveable again. After the roof sagged we decided to run out and move the two work trucks away from the overhang. I was worried that things would rip up and fly, and the last thing we needed was a much needed work truck with a giant section of tin embedded in it’s roof.

About 10 to 15 minutes after we moved the trucks I was on the phone with Chris telling him what had been going on when I heard a giant groaning. I then watched a 60 foot long flap of steel bend down and come to rest against the four posts that hold up the front side of the roof. And that was it. It hasn’t moved since. And, honestly, for that I’m thankful. I had been worried that a gust would get underneath the roof and rip up sheets of steel and send them flying to hit who knows what. The other two smaller roofs held amazingly well, and the damage that we do have is something we can repair. I think we’ll even be able to salvage most of the roofing tin.

Through the afternoon the eye has passed by Haiti and is now heading out toward Cuba. It’s still running at a category 4, which is amazing considering it touched down on land in Haiti. Usually that takes the power out of a storm like this.

There was about an hour of calm, which was a bit eerie again, and then the rain started and it’s settled in. This is the part that scares me for our area of the country. We’ve had places, like Gonaives, that have experienced bad flooding in the past after big storms. We’re anticipating the same this time around, especially if the rain lingers like it has been.

There are so many things that I’m thankful for right now, but my heart is also heavy for what has been lost here. And, it’s going to take days to figure out how bad the damage is through the country and what needs to be done. We know that many will be eager to give to the relief efforts here. After the experience of the earthquake in 2010 we, and many other organizations here on the ground, are asking supporters to be very intentional about where you donate. Please consider supporting smaller, grassroots organizations with long term people on the ground full time, over the big name ones. These smaller organizations already have relationships within communities, and have a better understanding of the culture and how to truly help.

We know that with a storm like this there will be flooding in areas of the Artibonite Valley where most of the communities that we serve with filters are located. There is already a demand for filters, but after something like this that will only increase. Also, when flooding and excessive rain occurs, there are spikes in water-borne disease, so we know that it’s going to be more important than ever to be going in and making the filters available to people who were already in areas heavily impacted by Cholera. In the coming days as we have a chance to assess where we can best focus our attention we’ll share how you can be involved in helping to support the work we’re doing.

Until then, know that we’re safe, that our staff and their families are safe, and that we are so very thankful. Please pray for Haiti in the coming days.

~Leslie

Hurricane Matthew Heading Our Way

Oct 2, 2016

When we updated the website one of the things we were most looking forward to was being able to provide real time updates from Haiti when something big was happening. If you’ve been watching the news you may already know that last week a tropical depression formed in the Atlantic, and it’s now turned into a category 4 hurricane that has been traveling parallel to the south of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Last night Hurricane Matthew took a northward shift up toward Haiti and Jamaica. It’s course right now is to travel up between the two, but it took a slight eastward shift this morning and there’s a great possibility that it will be touching down on Haiti’s southern peninsula in the next 48 hours.

While we’ve never chosen to focus on the if and maybes, we do believe in being prudent, wise, and calculated whenever possible. We know that friends and family and our support network will want to know what’s happening here and how they can help when the time comes. This will be the most intense storm Haiti has experienced in about 15 years, and it’s not a matter of IF there will be damage, it’s a case of when and how bad and where.

For those that are concerned about Clean Water for Haiti specifically, please know that we’re not that worried. All of the buildings at our new facilities are solid with concrete roofs. Everything is bolted down well and secure as much as it can be. The only slight concern we have is for our work yard coverings, but worst case scenario is having to replace some roofing tin. We have a large bank of solar panels that provide all our day to day power, but we also have a backup generator with a full drum of fuel exactly for times like this where we might have overcast weather for several days in a row. We have food, we have water, time on our phones and internet, and our cars have gas. We should be fine.

Our bigger concern right now is for our staff and their families, our neighbors, and community. Many live in small homes with tin roofs, which are not weather tight even in the smallest storm. Please be praying for families all over Haiti in the next few days.

While the wind from the storm is obviously a big concern, what is almost a bigger concern and may lead to even more damage is the flooding that happens in Haiti with any large amount of rain. Because of the extensive deforestation in Haiti, heavy rain runs down the mountains into the lower lying areas and has in the past created a lot of damage from flooding.

How is that connected to Clean Water for Haiti?

When flooding happens it destroys water sources and leads to a spike in water-borne disease. That’s where we come in. We can deliver a filter, install it, and within hours that family can be passing mud puddle brown water through and getting clean, safe, drinking water.

After the storm has passed I know our staff will be eager to connect with our network of Community Promoters to find out which areas have been most impacted and are in need of filters. We already have a list of people waiting, but it will increase following the storm. That’s just fact. We currently have about 120 filters on the ground waiting for delivery, with a load already on the truck. We were supposed to deliver those tomorrow, but we will all be hunkering down to wait things out.

We have the ability and space to produce and install 400 filters per month. Once we know what the needs are we’re going to jump into production mode and get going. This is where you come in.

If you want to help us be ready to go, and to help Haitian families in a way that will truly make an impact quickly, we would love it if you would donate to the work we’re doing. Each filter we install costs about $100 US, which includes construction, delivery, installation and multiple follow up visits for the first year.

Our other greatest need right now is the funding to purchase a new delivery truck. This is when having that equipment matters most. After excessive rain the only way to get into the areas we need to go is with 4 wheel drive. We have both of our trucks back from repairs, and we’re crossing our fingers they’ll stay running, but only one of them is a 4×4 and able to serve in the way it’s needed. The funds needed for the new delivery truck are $53,450, and we have $2500 already committed to the purchase.

If you would like to be on the front end of this, to help put us in a position of being able to respond quickly, we would love it if you would go and donate now. You can click on that button right down there and go to our Donate page where you can choose your giving option. Every bit helps.

DONATE NOW

Thanks in advance for loving the people of Haiti. Check back here and on our Facebook page for updates in the coming days.

~Leslie