It wasn’t until I grew up some that I learned to appreciate my life as an American. In no way do I fault my parents - they were only living according to their culture - but I began to understand as I matured how I was actually in a privileged minority with the things I had. Yet I don’t think I truly grasped the importance of water and how lucky I am until I came to Haiti.

Myself and two other guys made the trip specifically to produce a fundraising and awareness video about the Haiti Water Project. We had the opportunity to travel to a number of locations to see how people currently get water. Perhaps the most impactful was a small community high in the mountains. We went to the community farm and interviewed the farmer, who then offered to show us where they get water. We walked forever straight down a steep path, slippery, muddy mountain path to a muddy stream. Off to one side of the stream is a small spring that provided their only source of clean water (other than rain). They had to fill up a small bottle and then empty that into a larger jug, then repeat until the jug was full. Once they had a full jug or two of water, they climbed back up that same, steep, muddy path. For this American, that climb out about did me in. I can’t imagine doing that once or twice a day with a water jug. Yet for Haitians on that mountain, it’s survival.

We also were lucky enough to see the other side, how communities that have water resources can thrive. These wells are always in use, with people of all ages using the water for bathing, washing clothes, cooking, and most importantly - drinking. We saw kids having fun splashing around the well. We saw bucket after bucket being filled and hauled away by smiling faces, thankful for such a simple yet precious resource. It gives them time. It gives them money. It gives them
health. But ultimately, it gives them freedom to expand their lives past fighting for survival.

That water cooler back in middle school didn’t change my life - it just made convenient water even more convenient. But wells and cisterns do change lives. They give water. They give life. I may have known for a long time that water is essential to life, but it wasn’t until a trip to Haiti that I learned what that really meant.

–David Patrick

David lives in Nashville, TN and works in Communications at Trevecca Nazarene University. He likes rock songs with harmonic interludes, Calvin and Hobbes, and sweet tea. He does not like country music.

Rebuilding communities after the earthquake will take years and the work is immense, but providing clean water resources is making this process easier and the future brighter.

Pastor Pierre LaMartine explained simply, “We need water. People are thirsty.” Thanks to a new HWP well, people not only have nearby access to free water at all times of the day, but they can also be sure that the water is safe.

Before this well was drilled on the property of a local church and school for music, community members were paying for small baggies of drinking water and using unsafe water for tasks such as bathing and laundry. Now, more than 500 people are benefiting from clean, safe drinking water. After suffering through tremendous loss in the January earthquake, this well is a sign for the community that the future holds brighter opportunities.

The board voted we should have a special service to raise money for the Haiti Water Project on the last Sunday of March. To prepare the congregation for the offering we showed videos and talked about the purpose and need of the water wells in Haiti throughout the month. The Sunday before the special service we set up a water well we made from an old plastic barrel and filled it with water bottles for everyone to take. It was invigorating to see how everyone was getting excited about the project - from the adults to the children- you could feel the excitement in the air.

The Sunday of the offering we moved the well to the front of the church and asked people to place their offering in the well. Even though some church members are going through a tough time financially we received an offering of a little over $500. This is big news to us because our church is low income. Everyone participated and there was a genuine feeling of love for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

We invited the NMI Hispanic Area Coordinator to attend this special service. She then shared the pictures and story with our District NMI president. We were asked to take the well to the South Texas District Assembly. At the Assembly we were able to pick up another offering for the project and tell people about the good news happening in Haiti.

It’s amazing to think- all this because of one conversation and 20 coasters!!! But the reality is that all this is because of the many blessings God has showered upon each and every one of us and the HWP is one way for us to give back and say “thank you God for your amazing love.” Thank you for all you are doing for Haiti and for letting us be a part of it.

–Maybe Antonio

Maybe Antonio contacted the Haiti Water Project with a simple question, “Is this project still going on?” HWP answered with a loud, “Yes!” and shared stories of projects currently taking place in Haiti to reach people with clean water. It is only because of people like Maybe who take the initiative to share the need for clean water resources in Haiti with others that the HWP was able to reach three new communities with clean water this past month. So we thank her and all those from South Texas who got involved! Maybe attends the Broadway Spanish Church of the Nazarene in Houston, Texas and enjoys playing soccer in her spare time.

Una conversación y 20 posavasos

Me enteré del proyectó Agua Para Haití durante la Aamblea General en Orlando, FL. (Yo fui la que tomó alrededor de 20 posavasos). Me conmovió mucho ver con que amor el misionero hablaba acerca de el proyecto y lo que significa para el pueblo de Haití. Regrese emocionada a mi iglesia y compartí las buenas nuevas con la presidenta de MNI y luego lo compartimos con la junta de la iglesia.

La junta acordó que deberíamos tener un servicio especial para recaudar fondos para el proyectó Agua Para Haití el último domingo de Marzo. Para preparar a la congregación para la ofrenda mostramos videos y se habló sobre el propósito y la necesidad de los pozos de agua en Haití a lo largo del mes. El domingo anterior a el servicio especial creamos un pozo de agua que hicimos de un barril viejo de plástico y lo llenamos de botellas de agua para que todos tomaran. Fue estimulante ver cómo todos estaban entusiasmados con el proyecto -tanto los adultos como los niños, se podía sentir la emoción en el aire.

El domingo que se recogió la ofrenda trasladamos el pozo al frente de la iglesia para que los hermanos depositaran su ofrenda en el pozo. Aunque algunos miembros de la iglesia están pasando por un momento financiero difícil recibimos una oferta de poco más de 500 dólares. Esta es una gran noticia para nosotros porque nuestra iglesia es de bajos ingresos. Todo el mundo participó y se produjo un verdadero sentimiento de amor por nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Haití.

Invitamos a la coordinadora de MNI de habla-hispana asistir a este servicio especial. Ella compartió las fotos y noticia con la presidenta de MNI del Distrito. Se nos pidió que lleváramos el pozo a la Asamblea de Distrito del Sur de Tejas. En la Asamblea fuimos capaces de recoger otra ofrenda para el proyecto y comunicarle a la gente las buenas noticias ocurriendo en Haití.

Es increíble pensar, todo esto fue resultado de una conversación y 20 posavasos! La realidad es que todo esto es debido a las muchas bendiciones que Dios ha derramado sobre cada uno de nosotros y el proyecto Agua Para Haití es una manera de decir “gracias Dios por tu amor asombroso.” Gracias por todo lo que están haciendo por Haití y por permitirnos ser parte de ello.

–Maybe Antonio

It is not hard to understand why one in eight children will not reach his or her fifth birthday in Haiti. Since water is so expensive, children, usually the ones responsible for the task of retrieving water, must find water for activities like bathing in a nearby stream. This stream is also where trash gets washed to and where cattle are watered. Contaminates easily find their way into children’s little bodies which have not yet had the opportunity to build a strong immune system.

Pastor Lamartine of the Bellanger Church of the Nazarene explained what a well means for these children and their families in the community: “We really need a well - people are thirsty. If they were not paying for water, they could pay for school or food.” Thanks to this well, parents no longer have to choose between paying for clean water or paying for their children’s education.

And Bellanger is not the only community receiving clean water resources through the Haiti Water Project. Pont Rouge sits on the coast in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and has been deeply impacted by the earthquake. Many members of the Pont Rouge Church of the Nazarene lost their homes, and dozens are now staying under tarps in the churchyard. The Haiti Water Project has determined that since the church property sits so close to salt water, a well is not feasible and a cistern is the best fit.
Pastor Ilfrid of the Nazarene church has a desire to compassionately reach out to his congregation and community who are in need of clean water. Now, as they are working to construct a new building, they are also building a large cistern that will allow the church to meet the needs of those around them.

“Sometimes we have been able to buy five-gallon bottles of water to distribute water from, but we cannot always do this,” he explained. “It is difficult to find water on some days. People have to wait if a water truck does not come. They might have to wait hours, they might have to wait a day.”

The Pont Rouge church, which also doubles as a school for 125 children, no longer has to wait on trucks carrying small amounts of water to share clean water with others, but can do so daily out of their cistern. Classes recently resumed and this cistern will give students access to clean water each day while they are at school.

The Haiti Water Project is continuing to work to provide clean water resources to communities such as Bellanger and Pont Rouge in all parts of Haiti. Just this week another well will be finished in Petit Goave, a small community located along the coast west of Port-au-Prince. The Petit Goave Church of the Nazarene was also the first church building completed after the earthquake.

As we honor the mothers who gave life to us, there is no better way to celebrate than to offer children in Haiti the opportunity to enjoy another source of life: water.

The Haiti Water Project is able to provide clean water resources like wells and cisterns through the generosity of people around the world. Around half of the 9.5 million people living in Haiti do not even have access to clean water, but it does not have to be this way - and with the help of people like you, this fact is changing. If you would like to donate to the Haiti Water Project, click here. You can also join the Facebook Cause or follow us on Twitter.

Juliet (on the right in the $ hat) lives in Bareau Michel, a small farming community in the mountains outside of Port-au-Prince. This area has no police presence, no public education, and no nearby access to clean water. In fact, community members must walk up to 2 hours down the       mountain to find water at a spring and then make the 2 hour hike back up the mountain. This time they are also hauling a heavy bucket of water.

Without nearby access to water, hygiene is difficult, hydration is a luxury, and illness is common. When I visited Bareau Michel last week to share the community’s story and see how the Haiti Water Project might partner with a local church to provide clean water, Juliet took a break from farming to thank me for coming. “I am glad you have come. It makes me happy to see you out here like a Haitian in the fields and when someone comes here, it is the Haitian way to give you a gift,” she explained as she gave me 7 eggs from her family’s chicken in a small tupperware box.

Her generosity caught me off guard so much that I didn’t even think to get a picture so I could share her beautiful smile. Without knowing anything about me except that I was a visitor fumbling over her Kreyol, Juliet gave me a gift that could have been her only tupperware and definitely was a sacrifice for her family at their next meal.

World Health Day gives us the opportunity to unite together to celebrate healthy lives. My hope is that we can give back to Juliet and her community by making our own sacrifices to ensure that instead of walking hours for water every day, she can spend time with her children and instead of regularly falling ill to contaminates in her water, she will have more healthy days and more reasons to celebrate.

—LeeAllie

“Water deeply affects the lives of children,” Vierlande Alexandre, coordinator of the partnership, explained, “We found that a lot of children in schools were getting ill from unclean water. Many times these children were suffering from the same diseases over and over.” Clean water resources like the biosand filters and additional hygiene education are helping  children across Haiti have more healthy days.

Before the HWP well was drilled in 2009, their options were to either purchase small packets of water from street vendors or risk illness from contaminates in available free water sources.  Now there is a well on the property of a Nazarene church and school open to the community. One teacher from the school said, “Thank you for this. Students now drink more water throughout the day because they can just walk outside to the well. Before, they had to buy the water or they just wouldn’t have water to drink.”

Not only are students able to avoid contaminates found in other nearby sources of free water, they are also more prepared to learn. The human body is made up of about 60 percent water and the brain is composed of 70 percent water. Without enough water, the body functions poorly and learning is difficult.

Along with health, wells also provide time for children. When a young girl at the well in Martissant was asked what she does with her extra time now that she doesn’t have to spend hours of her day walking for water, she answered shyly, “Well…I can do my homework now and when I come to the church to get water, I can play with my friends.”

Stories like this can be found across the country and with your help, the Haiti Water Project will be able to provide more communities with clean water resources in the years to come. The recent earthquake has further strained the already extremely limited resources in Haiti. Clean water is one of the most basic resources children need. This World Water Day let’s celebrate children and decide to do our part to provide water resources that allow children to spend their time worrying about other things–things like homework and playing.

A classroom at L’Acul de Leogane in October 2009.

Children inside the building learning body parts through song.

In one assessment trip, volunteer and HWP supporter Jason Evoy visited L’Acul de Leogane, in the Carrefour area, which was the epicenter of the quake. “When we arrived, we saw their elementary school had collapsed to rubble,” he said. “Their church building is so damaged that it was unsafe to meet inside. Yet, the HWP well at the church is still providing clean water for anyone in the community. Rather than having to walk to the nearest IDP [Internally Displaced Persons] Camp to wait for hours for a single bottle of water, people can go to the church to easily obtain safe, clean water.” Despite the condition of their buildings, the church’s well remains a source of living water to this devastated area.

The classroom collapsed during the earthquake.

The well is still providing clean drinking water for tasks such as cooking and laundry.

Similar stores are coming from other communities with HWP resources such as Martissant, Marigot, and Cayes Jacmel. They have suffered damage from the quake, but reported their wells remain operational and are still providing clean water to the surrounding areas.

Before the earthquake, Haiti was one of the most water-impoverished nations on the planet. Ninety percent of the country did not have running water, and more than half of the country’s 9 million people did not have access to safe drinking water. After the earthquake, the need for clean water is more pressing than ever.

We are continuously seeing our Haitian brothers and sisters choose to use the earthquake as an opportunity for change and for a renewal of their commitment to reach out in love to their neighbors. Amidst overwhelming conditions, there is much hope for Haiti’s future. Thanks to donors, the Haiti Water Project has provided clean water resources at schools and churches in over 70 communities in Haiti in the last three years. Let’s join together to recommit ourselves to providing opportunities for Haiti’s future to include clean water and reach even more communities in 2010.

One of the ways we can continue to provide clean water resources most effectively is to purchase our own well-drilling equipment. In the past we have contracted this out to other companies, but we are now in a position to expand our efforts. This will allow us to drill wells more efficiently and quickly, which will mean more people with access to clean water. We will also be working to expand the number of schools with biosand filters and to provide hygiene education and cisterns.

Thank you for making it possible for so many in Haiti to have access to clean water. Choose to stay involved and help rebuild Haiti. You can donate funds for equipment that will allow us to drill wells more quickly and cost effectively. Raise awareness among your friends, coworkers, and neighbors and encourage them to get involved. Stay updated through our newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter. Together we can ensure that people in Haiti have what we can’t imagine living without–clean water.