Say hello to the residents of Bouyaha!
Bouyaha is home to the Saint-Raphaël Family Center (and the Maternity and Malnutrition Centers within) that serve families in the greater Saint-Raphaël region which is home to more than 60,000 residents.
Over 26% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to clean drinking water. That’s 1 in 4 people.
In Bouyaha, access to safe drinking water has been a struggle for everyone for as long as they can remember.
That is why we installed this water filtration system to provide free access to safe drinking water to more than 2,500 people. It uses reverse osmosis and UV light to make water safe to drink.
Gladys—who has lived in Bouyaha since she was a girl—recalled the many times she’s had to drink untreated, river water over the years, calling it “the same water that the animals drink.”
She plans to avoid the river by stocking enough water for the week ahead.
We reminded her that she can come back daily, if she needs to.
When Angeline, a member of OFADIS, a local women’s group, got a behind-the-scenes look at the treatment system, she shook her head in disbelief.
“It’s over!” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “The cholera epidemic is over for us!”
The women beside her shook their heads and clicked their tongues in agreement—each one likely remembering the faces of those they’d lost to the disease.
But it was the taste tests that generated the MOST excitement.
We’re happy to report that this water passed not only the “taste test”—and Gladys is a fierce judge—but all of the safety tests as well.
We were thrilled to see community members enjoying the fresh taste of filtered, well water, but we’re even more excited about what proximity to clean water means for them—
More time, less illness, and fewer resources spent on something that should be readily available to all.
Best of all, parents can rest easy knowing that the water they offer to their
little ones is 💯 percent safe to drink.
Before Tuesday, there wasn’t anywhere within walking distance for people in Bouyaha to buy safe drinking water. Now they can access it for free, everyday from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Better get there early! These girls will likely be first in line.
Want to see more? You can. Watch the video below!
Stay hydrated friends! And please consider joining us for our annual Number Fundraiser happening August 5th.
Love from Haiti 🇭🇹