Join us in bringing hope to Haiti! January 12, 2010 will be a day long remembered for us in the Western Hemisphere. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti, and millions of us watched helplessly as the news unfolded. However, in the midst of utter chaos and grief, there is hope…there has to be hope! In additional to the immediate response of aid from around the globe, I Am Change and our partners, are developing a response strategy that will work to rebuild Haiti toward sustainability and creating relief solutions that are both lasting and impactful.
On a “normal” day, Haiti has the worst water situation in the Western Hemisphere, and this is only exacerbated by this earthquake. As in most every natural disaster, immediate aid is of utter importance, and we are mounting an I Am Change response with an alliance with Global Partners, Mercy Water, Living Water Int and Thirst Relief. Our long-term focus is to mobilize well-repair and initiate a sustainable, micro-enterprise strategy surrounding Bio-Sand Filters. We have a team of people heading into Haiti next week to begin training and implementation of Bio-Sand Filters by creating a “micro-factory” alongside an orphanage and school that we have a relationship with. We are responding in a manner that is both timely and educated.
This strategy is helping accomplish a number of things. First of all, Bio-Sand Filters have been incredibly effective across the developing world in reducing pathogens in surface water making it safe to drink. Our current BSF projects in Cameroon, Tanzania and Brazil are seeing astounding results. There is not enough emergency water supply to facilitate aid across the country, so BSF’s will help immensely in purifying what water sources are available. Second, this project will stimulate the restructuring of communities throughout Haiti through health and economy. Thousands of people are migrating out of Port-au-Prince to the peri-urban and rural regions; so we are also launching efforts in the Northern Region and working back toward the urban center. We will be building multiple small BSF production facilities by employing young men and women who have outgrown the orphanage, but have nowhere to go.
This strategy has been proven successful in our other project countries and Haiti has been in line for the latter part of 2010. Yet, with the current climate, time is of the essence and we are redirecting as much focus as possible toward Haiti now without derailing our existing work. My request for you is to please consider your ability to help us respond this crisis financially. We have a great opportunity to launch this project and bring hope in the wake of this disaster. We know this will be a long road to recovery, and we are committed to bringing Hope to Haiti as we work hand in hand with Haitians in rebuilding their nation. We are attempting to raise a sizeable amount of funding in the coming weeks through gifts and commitments. The reason for urgency is to activate the initial shipments of materials needed to build forms and the initial stock of BSF’s. Additionally, many of the initial hand pumps that were functioning prior to the quake are now in disrepair.
Time is of the essence. We are grateful for your support to help our fellow man in Haiti. Tragedy really has a way of bringing people together. Every dollar you give on this page goes directly to the I Am Change Haiti Support Fund.
