Spring 2023 Newsletter
Isaiah 43:2. “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you”. Though written 700 BC Isaiah was certainly talking to the country of Haiti today. My first trip in 1983, now 40th anniversary, this is the first time I have never been able not to come and go when I desired. The country is in complete lawlessness with gangs ruling over whelming the police, terrorizing the people and disrupting the whole economy and social structure.
In 2008 Nancy and I founded Water4Haiti after being with another drilling organization for 25 years. We have 3 full time employees who service 750 hand pumps over a 600 sq. mi area. Around 300 people use each pump, making it possible for 225,000 each day to have access to safe water vs the river. We average repairing 150 pumps each year bringing the total to 2500 in 15 years. With the pumps being used 12-14 hrs. each day, they wear out. Our cost of repairs, pipe, pumps, fuel, repairs, etc has nearly doubled since 2016. Thankfully you as our faithful and generous supporters have enabled us to meet these increasing expenses and continue our work, even despite several disruptions by the gangs.
Several of the latest needed improvements this past year was the installation of security lighting inside of the compound. It is not fool proof but might make the gang members think twice before breaking in and causing destruction. Another addition was a very good used large generator, donated by a small rural church in Eastern NE. The generator is set away from the shop so the engine and exhaust noise will be greatly reduced. It is large enough to run all of our grinders, saws, drills, welders and being Diesel, the operating cost will be cheaper.
We have had many special projects besides digging and repairing pumps. Some of which included donating a dozen sewing machines to women taking sewing classes, delivering truck loads of clothes, shoes, water, food, tarps to both needy villages in the mountains but also distributing these supplies after earth quakes and hurricanes.
During our years in operation we have also dug close to 70 new wells. The photo shows a form around a pump set on a piece of tin covering a 30” hand dug hole to water. The small sq. form will allow access to the well in later years for cleaning. After the concrete has been poured, a few days later the crew will return and install the cylinder, pipe and pump assembly, lowering the pump through the stand and a 4’ piece of pvc pipe through the tin down into the water.
Of the 70 new hand dug wells mentioned earlier, we just say we want the well right here and two men get to work starting to dig. The digger has a small pick and a small pan and starts digging. Naturally depending upon the soil he will dig a 30 inch hole until he hits water. His partner is on top with a rope tide to a pail and pulls up the dug out material hand over hand. Most wells average 40-100 feet and the ground is mostly hard clay filled with small stones, so a stable wall is most generally developed. We blow air down to the digger with a blower and pipe as the ground at 80 feet is very warm. They will dig until 6-10 of water is in the hole and then we are able to set the pump. The holes are just perfectly straight down. Unbelievable.
The children standing and waiting in line at this pump was donated by a set of grandparents in Iowa in honor or their grandson who was killed in a tragic farm accident. We put the pump here as this was the main crossing point of children crossing the highway to get water from a pump on the other side of the road. This way, they did not have to cross the highway, as it was at this point a child a few weeks earlier had been hit by a truck crossing the road with his pail of water. It is one of our most highly used pumps as our administrator lives only a half block from the pump and he says they start pumping by 4 am and to past 10 in the evening. We have since added a clothes washing concrete platform for the ladies to use and it is under full shade all day long. Delivering water could be a full time job if that is what we chose to do. We have 4 -200 gal tanks which we fill with our pump in our compound and then deliver to many, many neighborhoods and villages. I have never been on a delivery that even if it was the third load to that village, we always left with a few unfilled pails. Most people have a 50 gallon barrel in their home so they just keep carrying water from our truck to the house. One Saturday, the usual water delivery day, the fellows delivered 9 loads, over 7000 gallons. By providing this service we help the women and children, who carry all the water, from having to carry their household needs of cooking, washing dishes, clothes and bathing. Just think how much water it takes to keep a family of 6 living. Over the years I would not want to guess how many loads or gallons we have delivered but it would be many tens of thousands of gallons of water.
One of our first major projects years ago was the installation of this 25,000 gal cistern. It is 6’ in the ground and 4’ above. Water from a church and a school’s roof is piped into the cistern. During the dry season we have to deliver water as the village has only salty water in the area. The pump is naturally only 10’ deep but it works just like it was water from a deep well. Another appreciated project is the construction of private bathing quarters. Otherwise people just stand beside the pump by the road and bathe. Even at night when a car drives by it is not a good deal to be out in the open taking a bath. We have built 4 of these and always install clothes washing benches beside the pump, trying to place them in the shade when possible.
Another of the projects we have worked on is the installation of small irrigation pumps. These are 2 inch transfer pumps which pump 10,000 each hour. This is enough water to irrigate 15 acres which 12-15 farmers share. We have installed 65 of these pumps so 700 families have the opportunity to improve their lives by growing 3 bountiful crops each year. The pumps are placed in the river and the water is pumped up the bank of the river to the cropland. As with the hand pumps, we charge nothing to the farmers. We give them the pump, 5 gal of gas, 300 ft of hose and a short course in the operation of the pump and engine. Unbelievably we have never had a pump returned because of a break down.
The photo of the front yard looking towards the front gate is taken from our kitchen front door onto the pourch. Such a beautiful and peaceful setting, You can lay napkins on the table, where we eat all of our meals for a week and they will not blow away as the wind hardly ever stirs, except during hurricanes. This is nice but with 90* and 70% humidity a slight breeze would be welcomed.
The picture of the truck being loaded and now unloaded has been a story like the patience of Job and the strength of Jacob wrestling with the Lord. This was to be my last truck, #8, taken over the years. Driven to FL, loaded on the ship, sailed to Haiti, then drive on to the compound from the dock. They were loaded with pipe, engines, pumps, tires, generators, clothes, shoes and many other items. It has always been a box truck and took 4 days to drive to the dock in FL. We had purchased this “last” truck 3 years ago with the intention of following the same routine. Due to smuggling of guns and drugs the Haitian Gov declared, “No more box trucks, only flat beds”. So I traded for a 22’ flatbed, built low side rails, loaded again with roofing tin, 6 irrigation pumps, engines tires, all mthe thing we need this for this trip. Now Haiti decrees, “Any type of truck can have nothing loaded on it, only shipping containers will be accepted. So, I spent months looking for a container which now must be hauled to Miami on a semi, to be lifted onto the ship, sailed to Haiti, reloaded on a semi for a 10 hr drive to our compound. At this point in time it is not safe to send the container as it might be high jacked on the road trip, so hoping this summer the situation will improve. The only way law can be restored is if NATO or the US troops invaded and support the police to take out the gang control.
Please continue to keep Haiti, it’s people and our employees in your prayers as it seems to only get worse by the week. Thank you again for your faithful following and encouragement of our work.
Sincerely,
Chuck and the W4H Board