Fraternite Champ Community, Haiti
In the community of Fraternité Champ, a water crisis affected its residents’ physical, emotional, and financial health, making it an urgent issue. Gathering water had become very difficult for community members. They used to get water from a hand pump, but when it stopped working, things worsened. Women and children were typically responsible for collecting water for their families, and after the pump broke, they had to travel far distances to find water. Sometimes residents purchased water, but not all families had enough money to afford the high prices. When they spent more of their limited funds to get water, they were left with very little money for other essentials like food and education.
Families who could not afford to buy enough safe water resorted to alternative sources that offered contaminated water. Because they relied on sources that were rife with contagions, many community members got sick from waterborne diseases, causing a health crisis. Residents, including many children, became very ill. Absentee numbers grew at the local school as children frequently missed classes due to illness. Adults who got sick from consuming contaminated water had to miss work, adding to a mounting financial burden for many families.
Residents were exhausted. This water crisis was taking a heavy toll on the whole community, so leaders looked for a solution to what seemed to be a never-ending problem. When community leaders heard of our work in the area, they wasted no time and reached out for help. Our team responded by rehabilitating the borehole and installing a new hand pump. The water woes of Fraternité Champ were over—the community members finally had a safe water source they could trust!
COMMUNITY DETAILS
| Exact Coordinates: | Latitude: 19.397607 Longitude: -71.769157 |
| Previous Water: | Hand Pump |
| Total Users: | 300 |
| Main Water Collectors: | Women and children |
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
| Pump Type: | Hand pump |
| Depth of Well: | 21 m |
Gexone Josué, a teacher in Fraternité Champ, shared his community’s story of transformation: “The situation was bad. It was very difficult to get water. People in the community faced a lot of waterborne diseases.” Now, Gexone is relieved about safe water’s many benefits to the community. The lives of his students and their families are much improved. He said, “The people are better because of this work.”
