Many are the days that I think about when I am in
Haïti. I never thought a little
country would have such a profound effect on me, causing me to reflect on life,
its value, and the things that determine its quality. While the sun hides partly behind the gray of what is left
of winter, I sit by my bedroom window looking out, not seeing the sunny gray,
but remembering a day in Haïti when I looked out the window of a room where I
was staying. My bed there was not
like the thick plump mattresses I lay on at home. There, it was a blow up bed on a cement floor. I awakened that morning to the sound of
rain as it fell freely from the gray sky above, gently hitting the leaves of
trees, before making its way to the puddles on the ground and the pools of
water that cascaded down the streets.
I remember thinking, “there’s a beauty in the rain.” Every drop is clear, sent from heaven
above to water the earth, providing for its growth, cleansing the ground,
replenishing the lakes, springs, oceans, and other natural water sources. I thought, if water is naturally free,
why is it that people in Haïti, the elders, the mothers, the fathers, the
children, thirst? The same rain
falls from the sky all over the world.
Why is it that I have clean potable water where I live in New York, but
it is not that way in Haïti?
Every day we wake up and we have the privilege and honor to
live life. We get up in the
morning and turn on our faucets and water comes out to bathe with, cook with, clean with and drink. In Haïti, every day, people wake up and
prepare to live life. Every day
the people in Haïti walk miles, with 5 gallon buckets in hand, sometimes up and
around mountains, to get to the nearest water source and once they fill their buckets
with water, they then have to walk the long way back from where they came. Picture mothers with babies strapped on
their backs, elderly men and women, some pass what we would call retirement
age, children, some not even 5, having to struggle, walking the distance,
carrying the load (40-50 pounds) on their heads or in tow, bearing this burden
no man should have to bear. As if
that is not enough, the water, that they have to travel so far to get, is not guaranteed
to be safe. Since there is no basic
infrastructure that provides for proper sewage and waste disposal, water
sources are known to be contaminated with harmful bacteria which can lead to
water borne diseases such as cholera.
We were fortunate to be able to stay at the house of C2C Project Manager and Engineer Trancy, while we are working in Haïti, a far cry
from the many that are living in make shift homes and those that are still
living in tents; their homes since the 2010 earthquake. We, like most everyone else in Haïti, do not
have running water. In the
bathroom where we bathe, there is a toilet and a shower stall with a huge
plastic container (about 4 ft high and 36 inches in diameter) that must be
filled every day in order for us to bathe, flush the toilet and just wash our
hands. A similar plastic container
is in the kitchen and is filled with water every day for cleaning, preparing
and cooking food and washing dishes.
Curious to see how this water got in the huge containers, I decided I would
get up one morning before dawn to help.
In order to fill the container in the bathroom alone, I made eleven
trips with a 5 gallon bucket, back and forth from the bathroom, down the hall,
out the front door, down the 8-10 front porch steps, to the well, to get the
water. That was just enough
water for the house for one day!
Not to mention that Trancy had to daily treat the water in the well by
adding Chloratabs to prevent water contamination.
The importance that water is a basic quality of life and the
fact that we, here in America, have it readily accessible and at our
fingertips, is a blessing.
However, knowing that there are others in other parts of the world, like
Haïti, that do not have the same access, should bother us deeply and prompt us
to immediate action. What would
your life be like today if you turned on your faucet and nothing came out, if
you couldn’t wash your clothes, if you couldn’t flush your toilet, if you
couldn’t drink? What if there were
no oceans, no rivers, no lakes? What if there was no rain? Being a member of C2C has
allowed me the opportunity to work towards making a difference. We launched the water initiative in April of 2011 and together with the community we provided a new water source for the people of Petite Goâve by the fall.
I can’t explain how I actually felt having the water from
that new water source run thru my fingers the first time it was a reality. I do know that I, and the members of my
C2C family, know that we can’t stop there. We have built the captage which encases and protects the
spring from contamination by animals, animal waste, debris from hurricanes,
garbage and other external pollutants.
We have also excavated the area for the installation and construction of the water tank that will store the water from the spring. We now need to complete the
project by actually constructing and installing the water tank and the water
pump which will distribute the water to four water kiosks, also to be
constructed. These kiosks will be
situated in common, easily accessible locations where people can go and get the
water without traveling the great distances they currently travel.
March 22nd is Water Day, a time that has been designated to focus on the importance of water
globally. We would appreciate your sharing with us in Water Day by showing your
support of our water project.
On March 22nd, help us bring the reality
of clean, potable water to over 16,000 people.
Help us complete the water project by making your donation. Just click here. Come be a part of something greater than yourself.
Elona Dotson is Director of Productions for Community2Community. She is the executive producer of the "Hope and A Future" Benefit Concert for Haïti. Contact her at elona@community2community.info