HANWASH Executive Director Ryan Rowe provides a timely update on Haiti.
Haiti continues to have many challenges as we head into the holiday season. The situation has worsened in recent weeks; there are calls for a multilaterail intervention to be deployed to help the Haitian police break the stranglehold of gangs on its major ports and roadways, which has fueled the country’s worst economic, political and humanitarian crisis in decades. In the last five months, the number of displaced people has tripled, as the violence and kidnappings by Haiti’s gangs are forcing people to leave their homes and depriving them of the basic necessities of food and water.
Haitians have had to endure daily unrest, ongoing lockdowns, the shutting down of vital services, supply shortages and extreme inflation. It is very sad to see but even with that said, there is reason for hope.
Despite all of the negative activity happening in Haiti, the Rotary Clubs of Haiti are together and remain strong specially with their involvement in the HANWASH program where all members of the clubs find hope, "one day all Haiti will have access to potable water".
The water infrastructure that HANWASH has invested in continued to function throughout the latest crisis. All rural wells and the Cavaillon urban water system operated every day during the latest crisis.
Despite all of the negative activity happening in Haiti, the Rotary Clubs of Haiti are together and remain strong specially with their involvement in the HANWASH program where all members of the clubs find hope, "one day all Haiti will have access to potable water".
The water infrastructure that HANWASH has invested in continued to function throughout the latest crisis. All rural wells and the Cavaillon urban water system operated every day during the latest crisis.Two other systems in the beginning states of engagement and coaching with HANWASH: the Leogane and Pignon systems continued to function through 3 of the last 5 months. As fuel supplies became available again on Friday, the Pignon network is coming back online as you read this.
Through HANWASH, we are using your funds to effect long lasting change to the way WASH infrastructure in Haiti has been managed. Building technical resiliency by reducing non-revenue water and adding solar panels, and bringing the best management practices to these networks to ensure they have sufficient revenue to continue functioning during crises like this.
Rotarians across Haiti have shown amazing resilience over the past several months and HANWASH is working to enlarge its impact and excited that efforts are baring fruit.