Update from the Field: The Deep Springs Difference in Haiti
Haiti’s Constant Struggle:
Frightening videos of collapsed buildings — crying, barefoot children wandering the streets of the ravaged capitol city of Port-au-Prince — survivors in deep mourning — these images have slowly faded from the national news. But, while the images may fade, the situation is very real. Post-quake Haiti is a new world – a new situation…and that new reality is far worse than anything the country has ever faced. Poverty has intensified. The basic needs for food, water and shelter have mushroomed more rapidly than could ever have been imagined.
Eleven weeks ago Haiti was hit by a massive earthquake which slaughtered over 200,000 people. Today, survivors continue to struggle to rebuild their lives while living in tents or on open ground, searching for non-existent jobs, and seeking scraps of food with which to feed their families. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced – many of them are moving to the country to live with relatives and start a brand new life. Deep Springs is diligently working with and for these people to bring them a much needed sustainable source of potable water. Our goal is to bring relief in the short-term while investing for the long-term.
“The horror of a natural tragedy has transformed a passionate but largely untested experiment in providing clean water to an impoverished country into a confident non-profit organization saving thousands of lives as it grows.” ~Bob Kinelski
Update from the Field: Deep Springs is partnering with Save the Children in Leogane and Ti-Goave, Haiti to provide buckets to over 20,000 families. Pre-quake Deep Springs had partnered with Children’s Nutrition Program, another organization in Leogane,to train 35 monitrices (health workers) to distribute buckets and chlorine to their communities. Since the earthquake, the monitrices (see picture at right) have been
working diligently with us to increase their services dramatically, using their previous knowledge of the area to serve those with the greatest need. Once 20,000 buckets have been distributed, DSI will have effectively covered 60 to 100% of households in the mountainous areas, and 30% in the camps of Leogane. Much work still needs to be done, as through March 29, 9,617 buckets with our Gadyen Dlo chlorine solution have been distributed, helping over 48,000 people avoid life-threatening diseases. We need 10,383 more buckets, however, to reach our goal and help the rest of those who are in dire need.
Thank you for your prayers and generous support through these tumultuous times. Deep Springs is grateful to be able to serve the people of Haiti in a large way in the aftermath of the earthquake, and it is only as a result of your generosity that we are able to do so.
You can provide more support for Deep Springs by donating online through Paypal or sending funds directly to Deep Springs International by mail, to:
Deep Springs International, P.O. Box 694, Grove City, PA 16127
Thank you for your continued concern for the people of Haiti. Your willingness to give allows us to keep finding innovative new ways to bring clean water to the Haitians.
Contact Us! info@deepspringsinternational.org
