Haiti is Getting Better

Haiti is getting better? That’s right! I’m sure there are a lot of missionaries, aid workers and local Haitians who would disagree with me, so I need to explain. Yes, it’s true that the political situation is a mess. That’s usual. It’s also true that violence seems to be on the rise again and we’re nowhere near to recovering from the earthquake. Any of us could write for pages about Haiti’s problems and the inadequate ways the problems are being addressed. However, I’m sure that in the ways that are really important, Haiti is slowly and steadily getting better.

The Haitian people are changing. Slowly, and certainly not all at once, the people are turning to God and away from black magic and Voodoo in its various forms. In our own small area, there is clearly much less of a voodoo influence than there was 10 years ago when I moved here. The distinctive Voodoo art and flags are gone and whereas we used to be kept awake by loud voodoo ceremonies we are much more likely to be kept awake by an all-night church service. The result is that people’s lives are changed for the better. The folk religion is one of cursing your neighbor before your neighbor curses you which lies in stark contrast to “Love your neighbor as yourself”, the message of Christianity. The old ways are certainly a strong influence, but Christianity is clearly taking hold here in a way that’s distinctive of the Haitian people.

Of course, everyone has a cell phone now and it really does make a positive difference in people’s lives. More children are born in hospitals and clinics now, which means fewer mothers and newborns die. Literacy is shooting up http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?v=39&c=ha&l=en, life expectancy is increasing http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=ha&v=30 although the earthquake gave us a big setback. Most significantly, the fertility rate is dropping http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?v=31&c=ha&l=en. Families with fewer mouths to feed are able to send more of their children to school and are far less likely to send a child off to become a restavek (child servant/slave). I hope you all don’t mind the charts so much – demography was one of my favorite subjects in college, especially how it relates to development. Lowered birth rate is one of the most powerful indicators there is – a more highly educated, better fed population tends to have fewer children which then leads to still higher education levels and better health in the next generation. By the numbers, we should have positive expectations for Haiti’s future.

From our own particular water-centered perspective, it’s pretty clear that the water problem is starting to improve. Much more so than when I arrived here, Haitians understand the importance of safe drinking water. We very rarely have a problem taking orders for filters anymore. The cholera epidemic actually helped with this situation. Many thousands of people have died from Cholera since it arrived in Haiti in 2010, but another missionary pointed out to me the other day that Typhoid has been around for many years and kills more people each year than Cholera. The increased awareness about Cholera and the importance of safe water has undoubtedly led to a much lower incidence of Typhoid and all the other types of waterborne illness as well! We still have a long way to go, folks, don’t worry about us running out of people that need filters anytime soon!

So Haiti is getting better even though almost all of the news we hear is something negative. Perhaps the positive difference over the past ten years has been negligable, but it has been noticeable. I’m feeling cautiously optimistic, maybe even excited for the next ten years.

Belle Pays

Field Trip!

Yesterday we took our staff and our visitors to Port au Prince for the day. We don’t normally do this, but decided to change things up a bit.

Our first stop was the National Museum. We had one guide that did the tour for our staff in Creole, and one that did the tour in English for our guests. The museum isn’t large, but it’s well done and worth the visit. The English guide was the same one we had last time Chris and I were there so I got to chat with him a bit more, I learned some new Creole phrases and learned some new tidbits of Haiti’s history. I like that Chris and I have made the effort to speak Creole because people here really do appreciate it. For us, aside from being a personal security thing, it’s a respect thing. We want to make the effort to show people that we respect the culture enough to speak to them in their own language. As we were walking through the special exhibit section of the museum at the end of the tour I asked our guide a question about a Creole phrase I’d heard and it sparked a conversation about learning  Creole and him sharing that he was really impressed that Chris and I had made the effort, and he complimented me on how good our Creole was, which is always nice to hear.

We weren’t without adventure. On the way into town Chris got a flat on the van, so we had it fixed, and after we came out of the museum it was flat again. While he and a couple of the guys changed the tire the rest of us walked across the road to the National Palace. While they have started removing rubble from the site, the country is a long way from seeing the palace standing again.

I didn’t get a chance to take a picture, but we were right downtown in what is considered city center, and the area is called Champs De Mars. Designed as an open, almost park like area, after the earthquake it became a tent city. The contrast of national monuments and tents was striking. In the last couple of months efforts have been started to move people out of the area and to rehabilitate it to it’s previous condition (or better). Yesterday I noticed that a majority of the tents/homemade shelters have been moved and things were being cleared and cleaned up. Large piles of garbage were being burned and outhouses had been relocated from where they were previously.

After the museum we headed up to the Baptist Mission for lunch. It’s so nice and cool up there and the view across the valley to all the hillsides covered in terrace farming is amazing. After lunch we started to head for home, and on the way stopped at the outlook over Port au Prince. The view is amazing and it gives you the opportunity to see the sprawl of Port and get an idea of where things are.

It was a great day!

~Leslie

Thank You!

We welcomed 6 Vision Trippers yesterday, and after everyone got settled and fed, we got to open all the bags of stuff they brought in for the mission. It was like Christmas!

We have two ladies here from Alberta, a father and daughter from Nova Scotia, and a mother and daughter from Wisconsin. I know that they shared about their trip with many, and that a lot of people wanted to know how they could contribute and were a big part of sending things in. From everyone here at Clean Water for Haiti, THANK YOU!

We now have an overflowing Rubbermaid of masking tape, something we use every day in filter production. We have enough Exacto knives to last a couple years for doing installations. The guys will be THRILLED with the knowledge that we have about a year supply of work gloves. And funnels! If you need to put something into a smaller container, just let us know, we’ve got you covered! Oh, and batteries! We won’t have to buy those for a while which made Chris really happy. We’re also the recipients of some fantastic video equipment that I’m itching to try out. We’re excited because it means we can share more of what we do, more often.

We feel blessed and are really enjoying our guests this week. We’re looking forward to starting work tomorrow and having them see the whole process of building filters. Tuesday is a delivery day, and Wednesday a repair day. Between the two days everyone will have a chance to go out and see the filters in action in Haitian homes.

Thursday we’re doing something we’ve never done before – we’re taking a field trip!

We like to do a staff day at least once a year, and typically we go to one of the nearby resorts for the day. This time we decided to do something a little more… enriching. About a month ago Chris and I had the opportunity to visit Haiti’s national museum in Port au Prince and we were really impressed. We thought it would be nice to take the staff there as it’s not something most of them would ever do. Sooo, on Thursday we’re loading all of our guests and all of our staff up, and we’re doing a field trip to the museum! The museum is right next door to the National Palace, which most of our employees haven’t seen since the earthquake, so it’ll be a time to do that with them as well. We have a few other things planned, but I don’t want to spoil all the fun now, do I?

Looking forward to a great week!

~Leslie

March 2012 Update

March 2012

Dear Friends and Supporters of Clean Water for Haiti:

If you read February’s update, you’ll know that we have some news to share. Have you been eagerly awaiting it? I know I’ve been itching to write this email since the day I sent out the last one. It’s just so exciting…

You’ll recall in past newsletters we’ve talked about the desire to relocate the mission to a different area because of the issues we’ve had in Pierre Payen. A nut shell reminder – we’ve been robbed several times, had volunteers threatened, and the climax was in 2009 when a brand new mission vehicle was lit on fire with almost two years of legal battles following. We want Clean Water for Haiti to be a safe place for our local staff, and our volunteers. As Directors we’re not only interested in the wellbeing and safety of our own family, but also of those that may come to work with us in the future. Who wants to live in a place where we don’t even feel comfortable letting our kids out the gate? Many have questioned if these issues are specific to Clean Water for Haiti, but anyone with any knowledge of the area knows they aren’t. Our workers have even said, “Pierre Payen is not a good community. There are too many vagabonds here. People don’t work together.”

So, we’re moving.

We’ve shared in these updates and the mail out newsletters that we want to be very deliberate about how we relocate. We want to make sure that when we move into a new community we’re doing it right. For almost two years we’ve been working towards that. We started visiting different areas, and finally found an area just up the road about 10 minutes from where we are currently called Chardene. It doesn’t seem far, but it’s far enough to be in an entirely different community. We decided to get off the main highway into an area that’s a bit more rural, but still easily accessible which is a priority because of the work we do. We need to be able to get supplies and not waste a lot of driving time or fuel on deliveries and other work trips. It was also a priority that it was close enough that our current staff could commute to work. We didn’t want to lose people because of the move. As it is now, we have two workers that commute from this area to our current location.

In the past year Chris and I have spent time getting to know community leaders. Chris had a meeting with many of them, including a group of area pastors. From there we spent over a month visiting local churches and introducing ourselves to the people in the area. In all those meetings we explained why we wanted to move, why we liked the area, how the mission was set up, how we operated, how we hired employees etc. These are important conversations to have so that the expectations on all sides are realistic.

From there we started scouting land. We knew that in that area our only option was to start from the ground up. It seemed like a lot of work, but the great thing is that with starting fresh we can take 10 years of experience, and build facilities that will exactly match what our needs are, and in that plan for growth and capacity building over the long term. Often in Haiti you rent or buy a property that’s already been partially developed, and with that you adopt buildings that are designed in weird ways or not structurally sound. It’s exciting to not just be thinking about the present, but also the future of Clean Water for Haiti. How can we do what we do better? How can we do more of what we do? What would make our work more effective and efficient? How we can build facilities that help us host better trainings? How can we host visitors better? What are the facility frustrations now that we can change by starting fresh?

We found a property that we like. It’s peaceful, has some mature trees on it, and has lots of room for us to develop things the way we need. Just this past weekend we had an engineer look at it and he was very pleased with it. Our current property measures at 17 centimes, and the new property measures at 27 centimes. Don’t ask us what a centime is, we just know the new land is bigger than our current site! The engineer said we would find water easily because the water table is high, and said the price the owner was asking was right on par with what we should be paying so we won’t have to waste a lot of time in negotiations. One of the best things is that it’s one entire piece of property. Our current site has a public easement/lane running through it so we have to worry more about security and it really affects how we use space.

Looking down from the halfway point on the land we want to buy. The land has mature trees and lots of space to build all the facilities we need.

 

So, here we are, standing on the edge of the pool and about to dive in. What does that look like?

Well, Chris and I have literally spent hours hashing through things. Having hard conversations about the process, the missions needs, how we do it… At times it’s been overwhelming, but we pressed on and we’ve developed a plan – a step by step plan to make all this possible. We’re calling it the Clean Water for Haiti Relocation Phase Plan. (Yes, it’s a long name. We just couldn’t think of anything catchier. If you have any ideas, please let me know J)

It looks like this:

Phase 1: Land Purchase & Set Up – approximately $30,000 US

In this stage we’ll purchase the land that we’ve chosen, fence it, dig a well and build the pump house. This phase alone may take several months because of how land purchases work here.

Phase 2: Power System Set Up – $30,000

This involves building a generator and battery room, purchasing solar panels and mounting materials, purchasing solar batteries and the inverters to use with the whole system.

We are currently running off a solar system, but we still have to run our generator for a few hours per day. At the new site we will build a larger solar array that will mean we only have to rely on generator power on overcast days. Currently we can weld and do other work like that and it will be the same at the new site. Haiti has lots of sun, so why not invest in a power system that will allow us to use that for many years? The best part is that after a couple of years the system will have paid for itself and from then on we get free power indefinitely.

Phase 3: Guest House & Volunteer Housing – $70,000

On the main floor of this building we will have several rooms that will allow us the same occupancy for training classes and Vision Trips, but be more flexible by giving us space for married couples and allowing us to close off rooms that aren’t in use, rather than having large spaces for small numbers of people. We’ll include a small guest kitchen, a large deck to use as a teaching area during classes and for guests to relax on, a covered outdoor kitchen for the ladies when they cook for training classes (Haitians prefer to cook outside) and a storage room for the building. The upper level will be a three bedroom apartment for volunteer housing that will nicely provide space for individuals or a family.

Phase 4: Workshop & Filter Production Area – $30,000

A new shop! We’ll have more space for all our tools and filter supplies, a welding fabrication shop area to keep tools and materials separate, the filter construction work yard, a sand washing area and much nicer staff bathrooms and showers than we have now.

Phase 5: Director Housing & Office – $40,000

This building will provide housing for our family and will share an almost identical footprint as the volunteer apartment. We will also, for the first time in the history of the mission, have a specific office space. Since things started in 2001 the “office” has always taken up a corner of the house. We know that as the mission grows we need more specific space to work together with our staff so we can do what we do better. Also, for our family and other volunteers it’s essential to have some separation from work and off time, so having a door that we can close to have some privacy has us really excited.

The estimated cost of the project is $200,000 US. I want to really emphasize the word estimate. After our last building project we realized that things almost doubled in cost, but the good thing is that it’s allowed us to be a lot more knowledgeable this time around. We have a better idea about what the major buildings will cost, what cost saving or cost sucking things will be involved and we’ve tried to account for that. As always with anything at Clean Water for Haiti, any extra will go right back into our filter project. We just wanted to be realistic on the front end.

Now it’s time to have that money talk.

I know, I know, like I said last month, it’s never the conversation that anyone wants to have, but it’s necessary.

The bottom line is that this project is going to cost us money. Money that we don’t have yet. Money that we’re going to have to trust will come. We have funds to get started, but as we shared last month, one of our priorities is to get things back up to a 5 day work week.

This past weekend we had the Pierre Payen property appraised, and while it’ll be another week or so before we have the report, we know that we should be able to at least sell it for what we know the new project will end up costing. It is one of the nicest properties in our area, so there’s a chance that the appraisal will come in higher than we’re anticipating. The better news is that as we’ve told people in Haiti about our plans to move many people have come forward expressing interest. We have complete confidence that the property sale will not be an issue. The real issue will be being able to build and move in a timely manner, and this will be dependent on finances.

I was just reading in Isaiah 7 this morning where God sends a message to King Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want – as high as the heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.” God was telling Ahaz to put him to the test, to let him show himself faithful and able to provide. There was nothing that was too big.

We’re stepping out in faith and trusting God will provide what we need, that he’ll move hearts and gather others to come along side Clean Water for Haiti as we move forward. To us this seems huge. It seems overwhelming, but we are asking God to provide. We want to see a brighter, safer, more effective future for Clean Water for Haiti. Will you be a part of that? If you have any specific questions about this project, or anything that we’re doing at Clean Water for Haiti, please don’t hesitate to be in touch. Our contact info is always at the bottom of these emails, or you can find it on our website – www.cleanwaterforhaiti.org.

We’ll look forward to sharing updates with you as we move forward. It’s exciting and a little scary, but we have big dreams and are looking forward to seeing those come to fruition.

Unitl next month,

Chris & Leslie Rolling

February 2012 Update

**We’re going to post our monthly email updates here on the blog. You’ll be able to find links to past editions on the Updates page in the future. If you would like to receive these in your inbox please visit our website and sign up.

February 2012 Update

Dear Friends and Supporters of Clean Water for Haiti:

Another year of work and ministry is underway here at Clean Water for Haiti and so far we’re off to a good start.

In our December email update we shared that while we were able to work at a good, steady rate of production in 2011, there was a chance that we would be cutting back in 2012 if our funding was slow coming in.

We always want to be good stewards of what we are entrusted with, and that means spending responsibly and working at a level that is consistent. It’s not responsible to know that we have a certain amount of funding available, then to work until it’s gone and stand there wondering what happened. It is responsible to look at what we have and make a calculated decision about how we can best use it with the most positive results.

As we looked at the funding we have available right now the most responsible thing we could do is to cut our work week back to three days from five. This has been a hard decision for Chris and I. Not only does it mean less filters getting out each month, but we know that our employees have families that are dependent on their work at the mission. As I was doing pay roll last week it was hard to be putting less money in the envelopes, knowing that it would be hard for their families to make due. But, we would rather keep all our employees working some days, than lay off a few to give the others full time work.

So, the question begs asking… What do we need to get back up to full production?

I think I can safely say that one of the most uncomfortable conversations to have is anything that involves money. It’s easy for us to shy away because we don’t want to be those people. But, we have a God entrusted responsibility. If we don’t tell you what our needs are, then how can you know how to be involved? It’s our job to be here doing, and at some point you made the decision to let us know you wanted to support that, so I’m going to be very frank with you.

When we’re at full production and installing about 200 filters each month our average expenses run around $12,000-13,000. In this is about $2,500-3,000 for payroll, about $3,000 for materials to build and install the filters. We have vehicle expenses that can range from $750-2,000 and include everything from fuel to maintenance and repairs. We have general operations to cover which would include fuel for our generator (our main source of power), office supplies, telephone and internet expenses, security expenses, and maintenance and repairs on our facilities. Of course, there are always other expenses that pop up in any given month, but you get the idea. It takes money to make this place run.

Recently I was reading some articles about fundraising for non-profits, and the underlying idea that people expect non-profits to be really productive – for next to nothing. The truth is working in Haiti is expensive. Things cost money. They are not free. We need our donors to do what we do, or we just can’t do it. We try to make our funds go as far as they can, but we can only do so much before we need to increase the funding we have coming in.

We’ve been happy to see our donations have gone up in December and January and we’re hoping and praying this is a new trend. Until we see a consistent difference though, we’ll be maintaining operations at 3 days a week.

We know you care about the people of Haiti. That’s why you signed up to receive these emails in the first place. We’re asking you to dig deep now and to consider how you can further support the work of Clean Water for Haiti this year. A filter literally changes the life of a family here. As a mother, it breaks my heart to think of the feeling of helplessness that most mothers here must feel on a daily basis when they look at their kids and know that they’re letting them drink dirty water. Water that can be a death sentence. We can help change that. Children don’t need to die from something as simple as dirty water. We can change it.

Water sources like these are the norm in Haiti, and are one of the leading causes of disease.

 The year is still new. There’s still time to make some decisions about how you want to make an impact on the world this year. We can install a Biosand filter in a Haitian home for just over $50. That one filter can help an entire family. How can your family, or you as an individual, make a difference this year?
What would it take to help ONE family in Haiti this year? I can tell you – a single donation of $50.

SIX families? $25/month.

TWELVE families – about 120 people – $50/month.

When it gets broken down like that it doesn’t seem so hard.

Some young boys at a school in the Artibonite Valley where many of our filters are installed.

 I would love to challenge you to think about how you can do something different this year that would lead to life change. Maybe it means sitting down as a family and thinking about creative ways to save up $50/month. Maybe you decide to cut out junk food or certain entertainment things so that a family in Haiti can have access to clean water. Kids love to get on board with these types of things. Did you know that in 2010 an elementary school project in New York state raised over $10,000 for Clean Water for Haiti through a penny drive? Maybe deciding to go without a large coffee on the way to work from your favorite place just 3 days a week means you can help families in Haiti. The average large coffee costs about $2.50. In a year you could help over 7 families get a filter – just by not buying coffee three days a week.

Some of our donors have signed up for subscription payments through Paypal. Did you know this option was available? It is! If you don’t want to give online, you can also send post dated checks to either of our mailing addresses to commit a monthly donation. Of course, you don’t need to commit to anything to give, you can just do it any time either online or through mail in donations.

One of our goals this year is to be more specific about our needs, so you know better how you can help. Sometimes us just saying “we need more funding to build filters” isn’t enough. We’re excited for growth things that we see on the horizon, and next month we want to share more details of how we see those plans unfolding and how you can be part of that.

Until then, help us meet our first goal – getting back up to a 5 day work week so we can help more people have access to clean water, and so our workers can breathe a bit easier knowing the needs of their families are being met.

Michelet finishing up a filter installation in a home.

As I close I want to draw your attention to the address information at the bottom of this email as we’ve had an address change in the US. Please note that all donations to Clean Water for Haiti US should now be mailed to:

Clean Water for Haiti
PO Box 871181
Vancouver, WA  98687

If you have recently sent a donation to our old address we have set up forwarding for the next little while, so don’t worry, it will get to us!

Thank you for all your support, prayers and encouragement as we help change lives here in Haiti. Let’s make 2012 better than ever!

Blessings,
Chris & Leslie Rolling
Executive Directors

Contact Us In Haiti:
Chris – info@cleanwaterforhaiti.org
Leslie – office@cleanwaterforhaiti.org
Phone: (intn’l code)+ 509-3718-8019

Donations can be mailed to:

In Canada:
Higher Purpose Ministries
1295 North Service Rd.
Burlington, ON
L7R 4M2

Cheques payable to “Higher Purpose Ministries” with a note/memo for “Clean Water for Haiti”.

In the US:
Clean Water for Haiti
PO Box 871181
Vancouver, WA  98687

Checks payable to “Clean Water for Haiti”.

Another Year Done

Today was our last day of work for 2011. In Haiti, as an employer, we’re obligated to give everyone two weeks paid vacation, which actually works out well for us because it means we can close the mission down over the Christmas holidays and take a vacation while our staff get a good rest and time with their families. As an added bonus, we’re also obligated to pay a bonus each year that equals 4 weeks salary, so our workers finish off the year well with their regular pay, vacation pay, and their bonus. They like this because it means they can do things for their family, and make major purchases or build onto their homes.

We start each day with a staff meeting to delegate tasks for the day. At the beginning of this time Fritzner leads everyone in prayer. This was something the workers started on their own. I remember the day that they told us they were going to start doing this. One of them said, “We’ve decided we want to start the day with prayer. You can come if you want to.” :) We believe in sharing our lives with people here and our faith when opportunities arise. We don’t make it a prerequisite for our staff to share the same beliefs we do, to be Christians, but many of them are. It’s very exciting for us to see these growth steps in their lives that are not forced our led by us.

This morning after our prayer time several of the workers decided to take a moment to share a few things. This was a surprise to us because it’s not normal. As we listened their words were full of gratitude that we were here, that we’ve stuck it out through the hard things, that we’ve had the courage to keep going. They thanked us for that. And they spoke words of encouragement to us. They committed to pray for us as directors, for our family, for the board and for the mission in general. I was fighting tears.

We’ve been through a lot of challenges in the past few years. There have been clashes with our staff. Some cultural. Some leadership issues. Some of us just learning and doing a lousy job. Some because people aren’t being responsible. Lots of reasons. There have been times of tension and anger and frustration. In recent months though, we have been amazed at the spirit of peace, love and gentleness that we have been experiencing. It feels as though we are going into a new season. We are seeing more of who we all are. We are a team. I would even venture to say we’re a family of sorts.

The words from our staff this morning were so significant to us. On the surface they were exactly what was intended – a time of encouragement for us. But for Chris and I, it meant so much more. This was the first time they had ever done this, and it was heartfelt. It showed us that there is more going on under the surface, that what we had been feeling was true. I’m so grateful for those five minutes this morning because they showed me that all those times in the last few years where we questioned if we were where God wanted us to be, and then continued to be obedient when we knew he was saying “yes” have come full circle and God used our staff to bless us this morning in a way that to them probably felt small, but to us felt HUGE.

The day was spent cleaning and preparing for a new year of ministry. We all like to leave things in good shape so we can hit the ground running after our break. The guys are wonderful at getting things squared away. The last couple days have been noisy in the work yard, which I love. I can always tell when the guys are excited about something because they get LOUD! Lots of laughter, lots of joking around. They were very much looking forward to the last day and our staff party.

We quit at noon, and everyone came up to our house for lunch. I decided to shake things up a bit and made hotdogs, hamburgers and french fries. Yonese and Esperanta made fried plantains, piklis (spicy pickled onions), and potato and beet salad. I was a bit worried that maybe they would be sad we weren’t having a full Haitian meal, but I wanted to do something different, something that they normally wouldn’t get to have. When I asked Yonese about it she thought for a moment, then said, “Whenever Haitians have a party it’s always rice, rice, rice!” :) I knew I had chosen well when the guys eagerly got in line to get their food.

We played some games, which were also a big hit. I’ve learned that because of the cultural differences our tastes in things may mean that activities are either a complete failure, or a complete success. There isn’t much middle ground. Sheena put together a Christmas BINGO game with pictures, since some of our staff can’t read and write. I was worried they would think it was lame, but once they got the idea down, they were so into it. When I say into it, I mean that Yonese could have just been told that she won a multi-million dollar lottery when she got the first BINGO, she was that excited. Or, that they were all on the edge of their seats to see who was going to win the black out. It was a huge hit! HUGE!

We followed that with the present stealing game. I bought enough presents for everyone, then wrapped them up and we had a ball! It’s a big deal for Haitians to get a wrapped gift. They had so much fun with it that Thony was literally laughing so hard he couldn’t stand up when it was his turn to steal. I love how animated people here can get. It makes me realize how reserved we tend to be back home. I think it’s a good lesson. Sometimes we need to just have belly aching fun.

Chris wanted to share a few things with everyone before we handed out their bonuses. I thought for sure everyone would be eager to leave, but as he opened the floor for questions I was amazed at the things they wanted to talk about. I kept looking at the clock and was worried they felt like they had to stay, but then realized they were the ones leading the conversation. When things finally did wrap up it was almost an hour after what we thought would be the end of the party. Everyone left in high spirits with well wishes for the holidays and requests for us to greet our families from them.

The party was a HUGE success, and most of all we loved that everyone was so happy. It was a wonderful way to end the year. In fact, it was a wonderful way to end 10 YEARS! Yes, there’s a small fact for you. Clean Water for Haiti was founded in December of 2001. We’ve been working here, helping to change thousands of lives each year, for TEN YEARS. We have weathered storms, but we are feeling that God is taking us into a new season here, and we’re so excited to see what that looks like.

Here’s to another 10 years of ministry!

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! We’ll see you in 2012.

~Leslie, on behalf of the entire Clean Water for Haiti family.

Exciting Advancements

We are very excited to share that Clean Water for Haiti has some new volunteers on the ground in Haiti!

We’re happy to introduce you to Ryan and Sheena Vande Panne.

God brought them to Haiti about 4 months ago to work with another organization, something they knew wasn’t long term. Eventually they would like to be working in agriculture and midwifery, but until then feel they need to be in a place where they can be learning about Haiti and what it takes to live and work here full time. Over the last few months we’ve been spending time getting to know each other, and when they felt it was time to move to a new ministry we jumped at the opportunity to have them come work with our Clean Water for Haiti family. It’s their hope that they’ll be able to serve with us for several years, and we’re excited about the help they’ll be able to offer us as the mission continues to grow.

Please be praying for our Clean Water for Haiti family. We want to do what we do well, and in a way that honors the calling God has put on our lives.

~Leslie

Meet Our Staff

We thought you’d like to meet our staff and see what they do around here.

Note: Most of these are staff badge pictures, and it’s also not customary in Haiti for people to smile for pictures even though they are a very animated culture. Normally our staff don’t look like they’re posing for mug shots.

Daniel

Daniel is responsible for overseeing our sand washing. When we do installations we need to wash a ton of sand. We have a motor powered machine that sizes and washes it at the same time. Daniel is responsible for making sure that it’s washed and maintaining the machine. He does other work with filter production when we aren’t washing sand. Daniel also owns and runs a small boutique just up the road from the mission that sells everything from soap to rum. Daniel has worked with us for about two years

Edmond

Edmond is one of our technicians that does a variety of work in the work yard, but also goes out on delivery days to help install filters and does follow up when needed. Edmond is one of the older men, and one of our workers that speaks a good amount of English. Edmond has worked with us for about two years.

Evens

Evens is our “jack of all trades” guy. He started working as a filter technician back in 2005. In the past 6 years Evens has learned all parts of the work here, and on top of that has invested the time and money into training outside of work. Every Saturday for about a year Evens went to Port au Prince to go to plumbing and electricians school. He was responsible for doing all the plumbing and electrical in our building in 2009, and does any maintenance around the mission. In the past couple of years he has been trained as a welder and is now our most proficient in that area. He also got his drivers license and is one of our drivers when needed.

Fan Fan

Fan Fan is one of our technicians who can work in all aspects of filter production. He has worked with the mission for a couple of years now. He often goes out with the delivery crew to help install filters. Whenever our coconuts need to be picked, we get Fan Fan to shimmy up the trees because he’s better at it than anyone else we know. You should see him laugh at foreigners who give it a try.

Fritzner

Fritzner is another long time employee of the mission. He started working here in the fall of 2005 and is now one of our lead technicians. As one of the older guys in the crew he’s well respected by the others, and takes a lot of responsibility in his work. Fritzner is responsible for a majority of the filter follow up that happens here, as well as helping to co-ordinate delivery days. He will also go out and do filter repairs when needed. Fritzner is an elder in his church and has 5 kids and a sweet wife named Vida.

Hailair (sorry, no photo yet!)

Hailair is our newest employee and was hired as a driver. He’s an older gentleman that just decided to come by one day to see if there was any work available, not knowing that we were in the process of looking for a driver. He’s had about 20 years experience on Haiti’s roads driving public transit buses (old school buses) and most recently for the road crew that’s been redoing the main highway in our area. Since hiring Hailair we’ve had him on the road every day for one reason or another and he’s proved to be a good choice for the mission.

Jimmy

Jimmy is another one of our technicians who can do a variety of work around the mission, as well as going out on deliveries to help with installations and repairs. Jimmy was hired along with Fan Fan almost two years ago when we needed a couple of guys to dig a new septic tank. We figured if he was willing to do a good job digging a hole in the ground he would probably work out okay.

Kelele

Kelele has been with us for about 4 years. He helps take care of one of our neighbors properties and came to us looking for work to do when they weren’t in the area. He’s in change of our daily filter production and also repairs any filters that show leaks before they go out into the field, so we can salvage a lot of filters that might not otherwise be usable. If you came to visit the mission and wanted to know who Kelele was, we would tell you he’s the guy that always has a smile on his face.

Ludovic

Ludovic has been working with us for several years now. He’s one of our younger guys. He’s used his employment here to help pay for school and has now completed his secondary education (it’s normal for people to not finish until their mid-20′s). He does a variety of work here, including going out on deliveries as a technician. We just recently found out that Ludovic is in his first year at our friends weekend Bible school and is proving to be a very eager student.

Melix

Melix has worked with us for about two years now, and is our work yard foreman. When we were looking for a new foreman and the previous hire didn’t work out our workers asked Chris to promote someone from inside. After some time we decided to give Melix a chance, and he’s done a great job of taking on the responsibilities of the job, and learning as he goes. It’s hard to be in charge in Haiti, and while people might like the esteem that comes with it, they often don’t like to do the hard things. Melix is learning to do the hard things. At first glance Melix is very serious, but get him laughing and his whole face lights up.

Michelet

Michelet is another of our more “mature” workers. He’s been with us for several years and works in various areas of the work yard, and also helps with filter deliveries. Michelet’s wife passed away a few years ago and he now takes responsibility for raising his 4 kids with help from his sister. Michelet is encouraging and hardworking.

Molet

Molet started working with us last year when we were looking for someone that could quickly move into a follow up role. It’s important that our follow up people are able to provide user education to our filter owners so we know our filter owners are seeing the maximum benefit from their filters. Molet was a teacher at a local mission school before working with us. He has a happy disposition and never complains about the work he’s given, even if it means riding a motorcycle for hours to visit filters, and having to cross a river in the process.

Preval

Preval started working with us in 2009 when we hired some local people to help paint a building. We liked his quiet disposition and his work ethic, so we kept him on. In the past few years he’s learned all aspects of what we do here and on most days is found helping Evens in the welding shop with filter mold construction. On delivery days he is also usually on the truck to help with installations. Our workers all call him “Rasta” because of his dreadlocks. When he started working with us he constantly had a hat on because he thought we wouldn’t like his dreads. We assured him that we loved them and later learned that he was attacked as a child and has long hair to cover some of his scars. He actually has a paper from the local police to indicate that he’s not a criminal as is often the case with long hair here.

Richard

Richard has also been with us for many years. He was hired in the fall of 2005 as a technician. He works in most aspects of what we do here including deliveries and installations, and going out on follow up to visit filters. Richard has also worked at finishing his secondary education in recent years. He loves music and occasionally will bring a keyboard to work so he can play and sing on break times. He’s very involved in his church as well.

Thony

Thony is our longest standing CWH employee. He was hired in early 2005 before I ever arrived on staff. He helps with construction, filter deliveries and installations and follow up. He’s been trained as a welder too, and when he’s not out doing follow up or deliveries you can find him helping Evens and Preval in the welding shop. Thony is also our practical trainer when we do training classes. He does a wonderful job of teaching our students all aspects of building and installing filters, and often gets them sweating with troubleshooting lessons. He also likes to play tag with our daughter when she’s out in the yard :)

Yonese

Yonese (on the right) takes care of us. That’s the short version. She’s been working at the mission since 2002 when the founders hired her to come in on weekends to do housekeeping and cooking. Over the years she’s moved from weekends to week days and now comes in three days a week to clean and go to the market to buy all our fresh produce, milk and sometimes eggs. She knows our family so well she’s pretty much part of it. On her cleaning days it’s not abnormal for her to take a break and be down on the floor playing with both kids, singing to them in Creole and most recently, teaching Alex to sit. Olivia loves to follow her around and “help”. We don’t even really need to tell her what needs to be done because she’s often doing it before we get the chance. When we have training classes, Yonese is responsible for buying all the food and cooking the delicious meals. We’ve never heard a complaint from anyone when she’s at the stove. Yonese is a very active member of her church, and is well respected in the community.

Good Changes

Our work at Clean Water for Haiti has been getting easier for the last little while. The first way has been security-wise. Our security situation has been pretty tense since we received an arson attack in 2009 which is why we hired PAP Security. Things remained tense for a long time but since our return in August things have been noticeably calmer in the community with a lot less animosity towards ourselves and our workers. I actually reduced our night guard from two agents down to one to save money since two no longer seem needed.

I like having a security company rather than private guards for several reasons, but one of them is that if I catch a guard sleeping, I can simply call his supervisor and the guard gets changed out within a few days. However, it can still cause some bad feelings when a guard is caught sleeping, so I’ve taken the example of a friend of mine who’s directing JP/HRO: he carried takes his phone out and snaps a picture when he finds a sleeping guard and mails it directly to the supervisor! This may sound hard to believe, but after waking a guard the first thing he will say, without exception, is “I wasn’t sleeping!” It is much easier to just take a picture – it cuts that whole conversation off before it ever gets started.

The security agent’s job must be one of the hardest ones I think. It must be difficult to wait and watch and wait and watch for something to happen for days, months, years. I see how it must be tempting to close your eyes, especially come 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. We keep a stock of energy drinks in the fridge for the night guard now.

When Bryan and Kelly Fox were watching over CWH from June-August while we were in Canada having a baby, Bryan started reading a chapter of Proverbs out loud to the workers every morning before work. They all love it, and asked if I would continue the practice. I didn’t know that I could read Creole, but apparently I can and some of the workers follow along in their own bibles. I find it remarkable how many of the workers have memorized long passages of scripture. They will quote the scripture right out of their heads as I read it aloud. Unlike English, Creole has only one translation of the Bible and that makes it much simpler for everybody. After Proverbs we moved on to Matthew and we will be through the whole new testament after a year. I think reading the Bible is a good way to start the work day – not just for the workers but for me and my family as well.

We have had some issues to deal with. For me personally, I’m really concerned about our dog, Annie. She has a taste for chicken – live chicken. She’s extremely fast, and when she gets hold of one she crunches down hard and it dies. Some of the neighbors are understandably starting to get annoyed, but they have been so good about it. They accept that I’m doing my best to train the dog, but I’m worried my best might not be good enough. She really is fast – two days ago she killed a cat and those things are much faster than chickens. I hope we don’t have to give her away – she’s a sweet dog when she’s not killing chickens. Or jumping up on people with muddy paws. Or frightening passers-by. Or turning over her food dish and spreading food all over the place. Or knocking Olivia down when she comes home from school. Why do we have a dog again? Oh yeah, security. She is a deterrent, but I wish my deterrent was better behaved.

Deliveries have been slow the past few months and it’s kind of driving me nuts. This rainy season has been particularly long and muddy. Most of the time we have to send the 4X4, and twice when I thought it was safe to send the 2WD the workers spent several hours trying to get out of the mud and returned with half a truck full of undelivered filters. In addition, we’ve been taking a lot of filter orders up into the mountains, and the road is so steep and rough that we only load 25 filters instead of 34. Only the 4X4 will make it up, and last week the 4 wheel drive and low range weren’t working properly. Can you imagine why? Because the dog went under the truck and started ripping out wires with her teeth, including the wires leading to the 4wd and low range solenoids. Why do we have a dog again? Because my job is so easy and I need something to keep me on my toes? I don’t have enough grey hairs yet? Gotta love that dog. We have that problem fixed now and the truck is up in the mountains today, actually.

We have a new project going where we are distributing ceramic filters of the “Potters for Peace” design. They are neat little filters because they can be produced artisanally but we are having trouble finding people to take them. However, up in the mountains most people live too far from a road to transport a heavy biosand filter there so it offers an option for those people. -Chris

Support Us!

Clean Water for Haiti now has window decals/stickers available for $5. Think of all the places you can stick one of these beauties that will get people’s attention. It even has our website on it so people know where to get more info about the life saving work that we do.

Be an advocate and buy a sticker. One of the easiest ways to get others excited about what we do is to show your own enthusiasm. Go to the link below to get yours.

I WANT MY STICKER!

Thanks for helping us spread the word!