CLEAN WATER
In the mountains and foothills near the region of Arcahaie, CHI's Quality Control Workers (QCW) have distributed more than 1,000 Gadyen Dlo (Water Guardian) 5 gallon water treatment buckets, which are complete with a lid and water spigot. Users simply add 2 capfuls of chlorine to a full bucket and wait 30 minutes to have potable water. Currently, 1,000 buckets have been distributed into the homes in our service area, thanks to our partnership with Deep Springs International. Each month, the QCWs return to visit the families, ensure the buckets are operational, sell replacement chlorine, and answer any questions the families may have. By staffing this project, CHI encourages health equity by continuing to lower incidents of diarrhea, cholera, typhoid fever, rotavirus, and other water borne illnesses. In fact, recent data from our Gadyen Dlo water treatment bucket program indicated reduced rates of diarrhea among users, decreasing from 40% to 1.8%.
In collaboration with our Extended Term Volunteers (ETVs), each bucket has been numbered and identified with GPS coordinates. Our Haitian staff and ETVs spent time with the families in their homes, asking them about their health and drinking water. From a 2012 survey, we know that 98% of the water from many of these sources is contaminated with fecal matter. Thus a water treatment system for our families is imperative for their health and safety!
In collaboration with our Extended Term Volunteers (ETVs), each bucket has been numbered and identified with GPS coordinates. Our Haitian staff and ETVs spent time with the families in their homes, asking them about their health and drinking water. From a 2012 survey, we know that 98% of the water from many of these sources is contaminated with fecal matter. Thus a water treatment system for our families is imperative for their health and safety!