Deep Springs International

 Deep Springs 2010 Spring Newsletter: Cick Here!

UNICEF Video Describes the Work of Deep Springs in Leogane, Haiti  –> Click Here to View this Video

 *Please visit our Latest News section for updates from Haiti

From Disaster to Hope:

Episcopal Cathedral - PAP

It has been five long weeks since Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake.  During this time Deep Springs has been hard at work ramping up existing safe water projects starting new projects at several locations.  Through your generous support and donations, we have been able to reach thousands of people with the means to treat their water.  

 

Our efforts have been centered in Leogane, a city very close to the epicenter of the earthquake and in great need of support for basic survival.   Thousands of 5-gallon buckets, lids, spigots and bottles for Gadyen Dlo have arrived by plane to this location.  Deep Springs has conducted trainings in water treatment, distributed Aquatabs and Gadyen Dlo, and provided buckets to families so that they can treat and store safe water.

Buckets and Lids

Help Us Reach our Goal of 20,000 Buckets and Donate Today!

Over 2.6 million gallons of Pure Water:

Due to your generous support, Deep Springs International has been able to distribute enough chlorine (Aquatabs and Gadyen Dlo), to treat over 10 million liters (2.6 million gallons) of water!  Thank you!

January 27th: First Shipment of Aquatabs Arrives!  

John Smith with Aquatabs

“Our first distribution was to a school building in Leogane. Several hundred people are living there with no access to clean water. We distributed enough tabs to purify over 100,000 liters of water at the school!” John Smith, DSI Volunteer

 Additional distributions include:

US Marines aid in Distribution

-Two field hospitals received enough Aquatabs to purify 1 million liters.  Each patient receives a strip of tabs.
-Mobile doctor team distributing tabs as they go into the countryside.  An additional ½ million liters will be treated
-A distribution was held in accord with the US Marines outside one of their camps

“People are excited to get the tabs because many of them understand the dangers of their water situation. Also, they know how to use them already.”

A special thank you to the people of Lanxess for their donation of Aquatabs.  

Michael Training

 Additional News:
Water Treatment Training: 150 health agents and 36 Monitrices (community health workers) have been trained and provided with Aquatabs to distribute
Buckets: Negotiations with the local bucket factory are complete.
Jolivert: Jolivert, our first production site in northern Haiti, is producing 136 liters per day of Gadyen Dlo (liquid chlorine).

 Michael’s Updated Picasa Web Album!

January 26th: 100% of Donations used for Earthquake Relief

DSI has just received a significant contribution that is earmarked to cover all DSI’s administrative expenses for the next six months.  Please be assured that every dollar you donate to DSI will go directly to Haiti in the form of purchasing the much-needed materials required to build safe water systems, ship them into Haiti and pay local technicians to distribute them to the thousands of households in dire need of clean water.

Bucket Drilling

 January 22nd: Bucket Assembly Begins and Potable Water is Distributed

Michael received a shipment of buckets and has been working with two Haitians to drill holes.  Today they drilled 231 buckets with just two hours of electricity.  Michael has also been working to distribute water to the people while the bucket systems are being made.  He treated 50 gallon drums with chlorine, then drove to a central location and distributed water into the containers brought by individual families.

 January 21st: Supplies Arrive In Haiti!

Supplies

Supplies Arrive in Leogane

 Around 10am David Lee’s plane arrived in Leogane, landing on a strip of road cleared and just wide enough for a small jet to land.    The supplies listed below all arrived safely and went into immediate use.  Thank you all for your efforts in getting our first shipment to Haiti! We are now looking to our second shipment of supplies. Please continue to support Deep Springs’ efforts to bring clean water to Haiti!   

 January 21st: Pictures from the Field    

 Please view Michael’s updated Picasa web album of pictures from Leogane.  Delivery of buckets, makeshift homes, and a camp area set up for survivors. 

 *Read Michael’s Blog Update

 January 20th:  Deep Springs Relief Efforts Update

 Tangibles: On January 19th, Michael Ritter and Jon Steele dropped off 600 buckets, 1,000 spigots, and 100 bottles of Klorfasil (a solid chlorine product) in Hopital Ste. Croix.  These supplies will be the beginning of establishing safe water relief to the Leogane area.  Leogane is about an hour from Port-au-Prince and was severely damaged by the quake. 

2 Story Apartments at Hopital Ste Croix, Leogane

The following supplies will be delivered by 10:30 Wednesday morning to a hanger at the Ft Lauderdale Executive airport for a flight on a private plane to Leogane.  

        9,700 spigots (20 large cartons)

        2,000 bottle labels

        8,100 bottle caps

        1,900 8 oz bottles

        5  Aquachlor AC100  generators

        1  Aquachlor 25AC generator  

The plane and the pilot time has been donated by David E. Lee, president of Air Shares Elite. 

 These materials will combine with 10,000 buckets produced in Port-au-Prince at a local bucket factory to provide systems that will provide clean water for thousands of Haitians.

Special thanks to Graham Huff for arranging for logistics and escorting the shipment to Leogane after just being airlifted from a mission trip to the island of La Gonave less than a week ago .

January 17th:  Deep Springs International Haitian Earthquake Relief Efforts

Partnership: Deep Springs International (DSI) is working around the clock to respond to the devastating earthquake by creating access to clean water.  Water, food, sanitation and medical care, are some of the most important essentials to address in the next few weeks as survivors seek to heal hearts and bodies.  Deep Springs recognizes the critical need for partnership and organization between entities rushing to the scene.  For this reason we are working with UNICEF, PSI  (Population Service International) and Klorfasil to provide a solution to the need for safe water.  Michael Ritter, DSI’s President and in-country director, has taken the lead for household water treatment technologies among these organizations, concentrating on areas surrounding Port-au-Prince.  

Actions: Deep Springs has been acknowledged as part of the WASH Cluster, a WAter, Sanitation and Hygiene effort led by UNICEF which responds to disasters such as the earthquake with life giving solutions.  Through the WASH Cluster, DSI has applied for funding through a Flash Appeal to serve 20,000 families (~100,000 people) with DSI water systems (modified 5-gallon bucket and Gadyen Dlo, a water disinfectant).  This appeal gives organizations working on the ground today a chance to receive immediate and significant funding to bring in supplies and serve people in desperate need.  
DSI has also appealed for donations of 5-gallon buckets and lids, bottles, spigots, and labels for the DSI systems to companies and our contact lists.  In Haiti Deep Springs has commissioned its Gadyen Dlo production sites, such as Jolivert, to ramp up production of our liquid chlorine product.  At least 4 drums (55 gallons each) are currently available for use with the bucket systems.  We are focusing our efforts on the suburbs and rural areas surrounding Port-au-Prince due to the increased need for a potable water source and the influx of Haitians fleeing the city.    

Tangibles:  
DSI has received an overwhelming response in the form of monetary and tangible donations.  LANXESS, an international specialty chemicals company, has donated an air shipment of Aquatabs, a solid chlorine product, to be flown into Haiti from Ireland.  Aquatabs are compatible with the DSI systems.  A Port-au-Prince bucket factory which is operational has agreed to supply 10,000 buckets for Deep Springs at a rate of 3,000 per day starting Monday, January 18th.  Arrangements have been made for 10,000 spigots, bottles and labels and shipment to Haiti.  

Needs:
Though we have received many generous donations, Deep Springs will need your ongoing support to be able to serve those affected by the earthquake today, tomorrow, and for the coming years.  Specifically we ask for monetary donations to fill in the gaps and provide for needs such as shipping costs, additional bucket systems and training costs.

Click here:

Deep Springs would like to give a Special Thanks to the following people who have been instrumental in reaching the people of Haiti with Clean Water in the aftermath of the quake:

Graham Huff    http://www.leagueofhope.org/
Randy Kilgore  http://www.madetomatter.org/
Nathan Michaels
David Lee
Daniele Lantagne
Jim Coccagno
Denise Richardson – Medentech
Michael Gately
Julie Barker
Robert Overly
Susan Rivera
Rod Giera – Tomlinson
Suzanne Dalzel – Medentech
John Smith
Adam Schaefer
Maulik Radia
Myriam Radia
Ashley Aakesson
Kara Telesmanick
Margaret Roberts
Terry Phillips
Leigh McAfee
Dr. Stanely Keehlwhetter- Grove City College

Deep Springs is Taking Action to Provide Haitians affected by the Earthquake with Potable Water 

Collapsed Home

* Breaking News: DSI Joins WASH Cluster: Haiti Earthquake, WASH Situation Report

Immediate Need:  Haiti was rocked at 5:00 pm (EST) on January 12th by a devastating 7.0 earthquake followed by at least two aftershocks.  The earthquake epicenter, located a mere 10 miles from the capital, ravaged the most populated region of Haiti, affecting at least 3 million people.  Thousands, even tens of thousands are expected to have perished.  In a country where the majority live on less than two dollars a day and lack access to basic necessities such as food and water, Deep Springs is striving to make a lasting difference. 

Many Haitians Slept Outside as the Earth Continued to Shake

At present, Michael Ritter, Deep Springs’ president and in-country directory,  is in Baudin (30 miles South-west of Port-au-Prince).  He is in direct contact with Daniele Lantagne, the CDC’s (Center for Disease Control) leading water expert, working to develop an immediate implementation plan to respond to the myriad of clean water needs in Haiti.  Our mission is to serve the greatest number of people in the most efficient way possible.  Michael will be leading DSI in taking a lead role in coordinating water and sanitation efforts throughout Haiti.   Contributions to get clean water immediately into the hands of Haitians can be made right here by clicking the paypal icon below or by sending a check to our mailing address.   

*Read Michael’s Blog

Local Perspective: Coicy Franky, Deep Springs’ school program director residing in Les Cayes, commented, “The entire country shook three times in about 19 minutes, and last night people around Cayes did not go to bed because from time to time we felt the earth  moving…We pray [to] God to help us to get those who are under the concrete.  We believe that He will do it for us as He always [does] for those who call Him.”

Deep Springs’ Vision and Goals: Deep Springs International (DSI) is a 503(c) nonprofit organization that provides a solution to the water crisis that can be maintained without ongoing subsidy. We share technology (modified buckets and chlorine solution as recommended by the CDC) to produce and deliver safe water products to communities as a sustainable business.  By providing simple water treatment systems so that even the poorest families can treat their own water, DSI improves quality of life by increasing access to safe water, creating jobs, and saving children from death and disease.

Daniele commented,  ”The DSI model is the only household water treatment program in the world that focuses on providing water treatment to the poorest of the poor with a full cost-recovery, sustainable business plan…..  DSI’s model is the only one where, after a small initial investment by donors, each new user added to the program actually increases sustainability.”  
Daniele Lantagne, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Environmental Engineer & Diarrheal Diseases Expert

Haitians examining damage

The key is producing the chlorine solution locally instead of transporting it or the water though very difficult routes.  A small generator, salt, water and electricity are all that is needed.  Another alternative that they have used is chlorine tablets which work well in emergency situations although they are more expensive for daily use.  DSI is right now mobilizing water treatment products into the hands of Haitians without access to clean water.

One of Haiti’s largest needs right now and for months to come will be delivering enough drinkable water to the population.  DSI’s technology and Michael’s knowledge of Haiti will make a significant contribution to that effort if the pieces can fall into place quickly. 

If you have any questions, comments, or information for DSI, please direct all to info@deepspringsinternational.org or call 603-988-5995

Please consider giving to Deep Springs today!

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Deep Springs International
PO Box 694  Grove City, PA 16127

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