Our Work

Haiti: One year after the earthquake

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Nearly 40 communities across Haiti are participating in a unique water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) project funded by Samaritan’s Purse Canada.  Community participation in planning, implementing, and even partially funding this project is essential to its success. During one meeting, the community team began by saying “the solution is not Samaritan’s Purse, it is the people.”

Each of these communities has a wealth of resources, including existing knowledge and local solutions to water and sanitation issues. Communities want to see the project succeed by participating in meetings and forming village water committees.

For the first time in many communities, a bank account is being set up – something that is nearly unheard for most Haitian families. The project requires each community to gather $200 in seed money for the water committee to use toward maintenance and small projects.

In a country with an estimated per capita income of just $100 per month, even an investment of a few dollars is significant. Yet communities have worked together to collect precious dollars from each household, solidifying local ownership of the project.

In the months ahead, a new well will be drilled in each of these communities to supply safe water. Participants will also help build latrines and shower houses. Women will be able to use new laundry areas to access water without polluting the drinking water.

In a remote mountain community near Petit Goave, one community member not only provided land for the community well, he also volunteered to close a latrine he had recently built on the site to protect the well from contamination.

This man’s level of self-sacrifice is uncommon in his society and was shocking to community members and project staff. His actions allowed the project to move forward and indicate how this project is changing attitudes.

The WASH project not only aims to help these communities, but also to change hearts. An intern who served alongside the team for three months said that “it is not enough to just provide clean water and hygiene education – we know the project will not be a success unless God is present and is transforming the hearts of the people.”

We are beginning to see this transformation and we rejoice in the impact it will have on Haiti’s future as more than 22,000 people benefit from the WASH project over the next year. Not only will they have tools to stay healthy, but they will also have experienced the power of combining resources for a common goal.

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Samaritan’s Purse responded immediately to the deadly January 12, 2010 earthquake. In the months since the tragedy, the largest response in the organization’s history has unfolded and more than 500,000 Haitians have been impacted by a variety of projects.

Nearly 15,000 shelters have been built for displaced families, some 71,000 people have received medical care, and thousands of Haitians have been trained with income-generating skills or have received seeds and tools to begin farming again.

Additionally, 250,000 Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts have been distributed through local church partners, reminding children that God loves them.

We praise the Lord that nearly 15,000 men, women, and children have made decisions for Christ through Samaritan’s Purse and our partnerships with local churches since the earthquake. Please join us in praying that these decisions will transform the lives of these individuals and the nation of Haiti. 

Ways You Can Help
Pray Pray for the physical and spiritual needs of the earthquake victims who have lost everything and for those who provide assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ.		Give Help Samaritan’s Purse continue to bring aid to victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Donate Here.