Clean Water for Dirty Buckets

In Haiti, as in many developing countries, the lack of clean water is one of the principal causes of disease. Many organizations have made efforts to sanitize water in Haiti and other countries, sometimes without long-term success.

One of the issues has been that treatment technologies are usually implemented without providing adequate training to the local population. But training is essential for success and reproduction of clean water systems.

To address this, the House of Hope Haiti is excited about a new project for fall 2017 to take place at the high school.  Over the summer, Manache Jean, the school director, traveled to Northwest Missouri State University for help with incorporating laboratory exercises into the school’s curriculum.

The school will implement three lab exercises this fall. Several labs will be added each year until a full four-year program is developed. The labs will teach the details of every way to treat water in a developing country.

Drilling for a new well has begun in a neighborhood near the school. This will allow the students to gain hands-on experience. In their lab exercises, students will learn how to make chlorine bleach from table salt to treat the water. They will learn that the water from the deep well is already clean, but the buckets that people bring to fill are often contaminated. The treatment of the water is what will help disinfect the dirty buckets. This is what will keep their water source safe for years to come.

    

This story was adapted from its original form. It was written by Mike Bellamy, Missouri State University, for House of Hope Haiti. Support from One Great Hour of Sharing is provided to House of Hope.