École Nationale De Sance Savanne Lomgue, Haiti
After the pump on the school borehole broke, water access became a constant struggle for the students at École Nationale de Sance Savanne Lomgue in Haiti. The students then had to leave the school grounds in search of drinking water. They primarily relied on a series of shallow hand-dug wells, but when those were dry, they had to walk to a local canal. This disrupted their lessons and put their educations in jeopardy.
To make matters worse, these alternative water sources were contaminated by dangerous pathogens which made the students sick. Diarrhea, dysentery, and other other waterborne diseases were common ailments. And without water to practice basic hygiene, these illnesses often spread unchecked throughout the student population. The students couldn’t wash their hands after using the facilities. The water crisis at École Nationale de Sance Savanne Lomgue was also a health crisis.
Belton Heureuse is the school secretary. She and the school faculty knew that providing water and a good education went hand-in-hand: safe water access would allow each school day to proceed with fewer disruptions since the students wouldn’t have to leave to find a drink of water. Fewer waterborne illnesses would mean more time in the classroom and the promise of a better future.
Belton added that without water, the school couldn’t run efficiently. “We use water for everything,” she explained. “After the pump broke, we had difficulties finding enough water to flush the toilets, etc.”
When school leaders heard about our team’s work in the area, they knew they had found the answer to their students’ water crisis. Our representatives responded to the school’s need by coming to rehabilitate their existing well!
The staff also helped the students and teachers at École Nationale de Sance Savanne Lomgue establish sustainability practices. They guided them in selecting a water committee, comprised of both students and staff, which will oversee the care and maintenance of the well. Our team will stay in contact with the water committee to support sustainability efforts and monitor the well’s functionality.
In order to help the students understand how to use the safe water you gave them as a means of improving their health, the staff held a hygiene and sanitation promotion activity. These interactive lessons covered topics like handwashing, germ transmission, and the proper transportation and storage of water from their rehabilitated well.
Belton was excited to have a working borehole at the school again. She said, “This achievement will improve the life of the school population.”
She and her fellow teachers know that safe water changes everything. They can now provide an effective learning environment, one where their students can realize their full potential. They are excited about sustaining their rehabilitated well, modeling good stewardship for generations to come.
| COMMUNITY DETAILS | |
| Exact Coordinates: | Latitude: 19.538136 | Longitude: -71.730454 |
| Previous Water: | Hand-Dug Wells |
| Source/Location: | School |
| Total Users: | 300 |
| Main Water Collectors: | Students |
| CONSTRUCTION DETAILS | |
| Pump Type: | Hand pump |
| Depth of Well: | 18 m |
| Coliform Bacteria: | Absent |
