Cleansing Water
Community water systems and hygiene education from Samaritan's Purse help to save lives in Haiti...
The village of Corail is crisscrossed with lush banana groves and rich fields sprouting new leaves. Children smile as they go about their chores. Scattered groups of chickens, goats, and cows give the place an idyllic feel.
But four people in Corail died and dozens became critically ill when cholera swept through the area last fall. People were afraid to drop their water buckets into the community well.
Samaritan’s Purse medical volunteers treated the sick, while our water and sanitation teams set up a life-saving community water filtration system. Soon, people were coming from miles around to fill plastic bottles, buckets, and five-gallon jugs.
“I’m thankful to have clean water for my family,” Berier Altenord said as he helped one of his seven grandchildren fill containers. “I don’t want my grandchildren to drink from the well because of cholera. Cholera is killing people. Without this water, how many more people would be in the hospital or dead?”
People in Corail say their water is extra pure because it is drawn from a spring that bubbles to the surface between the roots of a massive mango tree. Before the filter was installed, the water flowed into a murky pool where people bathed and livestock waded in to drink.
The crystal spring seemed like a natural illustration for the “living water” Jesus described in John 4:10-13, but at least one man on site saw it differently.
“This water is safer because it comes from a spring, but you can’t compare it to the Bible verse,” said Wilgar Carmelien. “We can wake up tomorrow and discover that the spring has dried up and is gone, but the Word of God will last forever!”
People in the community have taken ownership of the water station, tending the generator and protecting the site from thieves. A couple of neighbors strung a barbed-wire fence around the system. Others, including Wilgar, take turns watching over it at night.
“I slept here last night,” Wilgar said. “In other places, people come at night and steal parts, but not here. We keep it safe.”
Samaritan’s Purse has installed water systems in 36 communities like Corail, protecting tens of thousands of people from cholera and other water-borne diseases. Teams have also constructed more than 852 latrines in shelter communities and villages.
Hygiene education teams visit communities and provide training in cholera treatment and disease prevention. Adults receive literature and instruction, while the children get the message through a creative combination of songs, skits, and colourful illustrations.
Since the cholera outbreak began in later October, Samaritan’s Purse has distributed more than 500,000 pamphlets that outline cholera prevention and treatment.
The combination of clean water and hygiene education has helped prevent the spread of illnesses like cholera, saving thousands of lives.
“We are really thankful to Samaritan’s Purse for this,” Berier said, looking at his 8-year-old grandson, Walenton. “If it weren’t for them, many more people in Haiti would have died.”
