Luke's Mission- Haiti
Water Filter Distribution in Belbede, Haiti
Luke's Mission (LM) based in Durham, NC recently return from their second trip to Belbede, Haiti where they were able to follow up with 60 families that received Sawyer filters in April, 2009. While there they also were able to install and additional 36 filters.
On the first trip, LM provided training on how to install and use the filtration system to a group of 60 women. The women brought their own buckets to transport the unfiltered water in and received a clean bucket for the filtered water as well as PointONE Filter. Almost one year later, over 1,500 people now have access to clean water.
According to April Perry, executive director of LM, the pastor in the village described the general health of the community as much improved and the effect of the filters on the health of the community as HUGE. In general, he said the mothers rarely report diarrhea in their children now where as prior to receiving the filters, they had it several times a week.
This household based system is as effective, simple and cost efficient as it gets states April Perry. Families will be able to construct and adapt their filter in literally minutes to locally found containers. Equally important, maintenance is a very simple process. When the filter starts to slow down or clog, simply back wash it with clean water using the cleaning device provided in the kit.
During our time in Haiti we used the system to filter our own drinking water from the river. Having us drink the water demonstrated in a strong way to the people how confident we were in this filtration process. We encountered no problems as a result of drinking this water after it had been filtered—something we would never have even considered prior to the trip. We will no longer have to transport our own drinking water when we visit this remote village.
We are grateful to Sawyer for developing these filters and for making it affordable for the poorest of the poor to now have access to clean water.
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