One of the ways in which the Lamp for Haiti reduces illness and improves quality of life is by providing access to drinking water. In Haiti, the public water supply, even where available, is not potable. Water borne diseases are rampant within Cité Soleil, as in most areas of Haiti. The possibility of a fresh outbreak of cholera in any location is ever-present.
So it was with great satisfaction that the Lamp put not one, but two, water purification systems into place this week. The first — a solar powered unit — was installed at the Cardinal Stepinac Children’s Center at Bon Repos (shown below). The orphanage is a great partner of the Lamp for Haiti, often assisting us in our efforts to move shipped goods through customs with dispatch, among many other things. The water will be a terrific boon to the kids (and staff!) at the orphanage, which had struggled with an inadequate water supply for many years.
The Bon Repos orphanage with the water system’s solar panels visible on the roof
The second system is a large “reverse osmosis” water purifier. Our thanks to US Water who donated this expensive and highly effective system. The unit is huge, filling a 20 foot shipping container, and can purify up to 100 gallons of water per minute. The unit has been set up at a local water purification plant, very near to Cité Soleil, in exchange for a tremendous quantity of pure water (16 million gallons, to be precise) and other services. The water will be brought into the Bwa Nèf community (where we work) and several other sites within Cite Soleil by truck.
Those of you who read our newsletter article on water projects may remember that the large “RO” machine was originally intended for a location within Cité Soleil, named Soleil Kat. We are also very happy to report that an American organization named Pure Water for the World has taken on the development of that location, and will be installing a full water purification station there. Although Cité Soleil has a very large population, the combination of these two sources of plentiful water are going to increase access to drinking water very significantly!
