GlobalGiving.org: Safe Water & On-going Earthquake Relief in Haiti

Partnerships to Promote Household Chlorination

Michael Ritter — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:50:48 GMT

Registering families to receive Gadyen Dlo

Long-term impact requires strong partnerships at all levels. DSI has always focused on identifying existing strengths and collaborating with local partners. Our recent activities have led to close partnerships with large-scale actors like UNICEF and DINEPA (the Haitian government’s Directorate of Water and Sanitation) as well as local community leaders, health agents, and vendors. DINEPA has established a goal of providing all families in rural areas with access to an approved, affordable chlorine product to treat their water at the household level. Gadyen Dlo, DSI’s locally produced chlorine product, is the product of choice for the third phase of DINEPA’s chlorine distributions. Our partnership aims to provide 260,000 families, or over 1.2 million individuals, with Gadyen Dlo.

To accomplish the initial distributions, DINEPA is mobilizing local community leaders that will be trained by DSI agents and will distribute Gadyen Dlo in their communities. This will simultaneously help DINEPA reach their goal of providing safe water and allow DSI to reach its goal of increased coverage of Gadyen Dlo. The first distributions took place in the northwest department in late August, as shown in the pictures. In the future, it is expected that these local leaders will also gain opportunities to generate income through ongoing sales of Gadyen Dlo. We are working on a strategy that focuses on promoting household chlorination through a combination of mass media, community events, and one-on-one household visits. In the coming months, your support will be targeted toward ensuring that families who obtain Gadyen Dlo through the DINEPA distributions receive messages about the importance of ongoing household water treatment and information about where it is available.

Training on how to use Gadyen Dlo

Lasting Impact on Safe Water in Rural Haiti

Michael Ritter — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:52:12 GMT

DSI Supervisor testing a family's water

The effects of the earthquake are still being felt over a year later. DSI’s model of locally driven social enterprises has shown itself to be both scalable and sustainable. The past year has allowed us many opportunities to enter new communities, forge partnerships with institutions which will be fighting unsafe water for years to come, and learn lessons about how best to make our efforts sustainable. Despite fluctuations in aid that has been available to communities we serve, our Haitian agents have continued providing access to safe water.

Our current programs serve over 40,000 families with chlorine on an ongoing basis. Not only do our efforts save lives, but the increased operations have provided jobs for over 260 Haitians to produce and distribute bottles of chlorine. In order to sustain these economic opportunities and make continued health impact, it is critical that local agents promote healthy behaviors and use of chlorine to treat drinking water. Your support is greatly appreciated as we empower these agents to strive for change that will become a part of daily life for rural Haitian families.

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GlobalGiving visit to Deep Springs International

Britt Lake — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:08:16 GMT

DSI staff prepare bottled chlorine

We left early from Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, for the two hour drive to Leogane, where we were meeting with staff from Deep Springs International (DSI). We arrived on a Saturday and were surprised to find several staff members busily working. It was bottling day!

DSI locally produces a liquid chlorine that makes water safe to drink. A capful of chlorine purifies five gallons of water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. The organization works with community health workers employed by the Ministry of Health to spread the importance of clean water for overall health – a message that becomes even more important with the recent spread of cholera. For only $1.25, a family of five can receive enough chlorine to have clean drinking water for an entire month.

In the past year since the earthquake, DSI has grown from only 40 staff to 240 staff – almost all of whom are Haitian. We met with Jean Alliance who explained to us how they train staff to educate the community and bring the chlorine solution to families throughout the region. The sustainability of the project is important, so the solution is sold, with the small profit margin going to the community health workers. This allows the project to be independent from relying on grants, provides employment in the local community, and reducing health problems among the families who use the system. Michael Ritter, National Program Officer, says that their studies show that health indicators seem to be improving within families that use the system. Childhood diarrhea, for instance, has dropped 50% among their clients.

They continue to monitor the affect that DSI’s water systems are having on the area and expand in a smart, sustainable way. DSI was working in Haiti before the earthquake, and continues to remain dedicated to the expanding in a way that improves health and increases local employment in the region.

Bottles of just-bottled locally produced chlorine

Meeting Tomas and Cholera with Expansion

David McGinty — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:24:41 GMT

Leogane after Tomas - Waves in the Streets

This week Hurricane Tomas hit Haiti at a critical time when Haitians are working to contain the cholera outbreak and continue rebuilding after the January earthquake that drove many into temporary dwellings. The cholera outbreak alone has claimed more than 440 lives and led to the hospitalization of over 6,700 Haitians to date.

The hurricane did not directly hit the earthquake zone, where displaced families would be highly exposed and endangered. However, heavy rains have caused flooding (including a river overwhelming Leogane (pictured)) and may result in mudslides in populated areas and high winds that would damage or destroy makeshift tent shelters. We serve 18,500 families in Leogane.

“Haiti’s children have suffered one disaster on top of another this year,” Trayle Kulshan, UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Cluster Coordinator, said yesterday.

DSI’s Actions

DSI’s production of Gadyen Dlo (our Haitian-made liquid chlorine) has increased in several communities that we serve based on need and demand. In Jolivert, this week we provided 20 times the amount of Gadyen Dlo typically demanded.

We have also been producing large quantities of Gadyen Dlo to provide to partner organizations. For example, MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) is being supplied with 870 gallons of Gadyen Dlo and 500,000 AquaTabs for water treatment in Port-au-Prince. This Gadyen Dlo supply alone will purify over 3,800,000 gallons of water, and the AquaTabs will purify 2,500,000 gallons of water.

This work is in addition to our current activities targeting the cholera impact area, including providing treatment systems and Gadyen Dlo to 353 schools with UNICEF, delivering 90 gallons of Gadyen Dlo to DINEPA (Ministry of Water and Sanitation) to purify over 340,000 gallons of water, and training healthcare workers.

Leogane - Gadyen Dlo banner over flooded street

Leogane - Still smiling and joking

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Visit us on our website

Cholera Outbreak - Safe water solution

David McGinty — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:59:29 GMT

Deep Springs International is currently under the pressure of the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti that has already killed over 200 Haitians and sickened over 2,000. Cholera is a preventable illness, preventable with our liquid chlorine.

The areas affected include the Artibonite Valley (a location of many persons displaced by the earthquake), Arcahaie (near Port-au-Prince), and Limbey. This outbreak has also increased worries the disease could reach the earthquake zone. According to the Pan American Health Organization, the number of cases will continue to grow because Haitians do not have any built-up immunity to cholera.

This weekend Deep Springs International delivered 80 gallons of Gadyen Dlo (our Haitian made liquid chlorine treatment) to DINEPA (Haiti’s health ministry) to purify over 1,200,000 million liters of water. DINEPA will use this shipment of Gadyen Dlo in St. Marc to treat a piped public water system.

We are working on providing more safe water treatments through DINEPA, working with our partner NGOs to coordinate the distribution of a large in-kind donation of chlorine tablets that can purify 2,000 gallons of water at a time, and ensuring our 33,000 beneficiaries (including over 18,000 in Leogane) are fully supplied with clean water.

You can help Haitians by guaranteeing the safe water necessary to shield families from infection and rejuvenate those who are already sick.

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Visit our website

How you are helping serve over 150,000 Haitians

David B. McGinty — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:46:53 GMT

DSI Staff in Leogane, Haiti

As of August 2010, DSI and you are now serving over 150,000 Haitians with safe water for years to come. Through your help and that of organizations like Save the Children and UNICEF we have been able to act quickly--providing not only safe water for a day but safe water for a lifetime through a strategic plan that converts traditional aid into sustainable jobs and enterprises.

Our programs reach both communities with the same safe water system - Gadyen Dlo - that you helped provided to over 60,000 Haitians in the earthquake zone. This was not a "one time hit," like a vaccination. Your compassion has helped us distribute and establish a system that will transition from initial aid to Haitian-managed sustainable enterprises. As we talk about it internally, we provide a solution to a systemic problem that is "for Haitians, by Haitians."

Although we have been able to create many jobs for Haitians and provide safe water to over 150,000 Haitians, the need is increasing for rural Haitians. Traditional aid organizations and the Haitian government are now focusing time and resources on dense population centers to the neglect of the rural communities that DSI serves. There are over 1,200,000 rural Haitians who still do not have safe water to drink or properly prepare meals.

The impact from the January 2010 earthquake remains, and we would love to continue serving rural Haitians with you.

If you have any questions, let us know! Please also check out our website with many updates and more complete information about our strategy, goals, and people - www.deepspringsinternational.org

Jean Alliance (Program Coordinator) at UN Leogane

A few children we serve in Leogane

Links:

Check out the updated website!

Aquatabs Arrive!

Ruth Entwistle — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:30:06 GMT

Gadyen Dlo Station Set up

January 27th: First Shipment of Aquatabs Arrives! “Our first distribution was to a school building in Leogane. Several hundred people are living there with no access to clean water. We distributed enough tabs to purify over 100,000 liters of water at the school!” John Smith, DSI Volunteer Additional distributions include: -Two field hospitals received enough Aquatabs to purify 1 million liters. Each patient receives a strip of tabs. -Mobile doctor team distributing tabs as they go into the countryside. An additional ½ million liters will be treated -A distribution was held in accord with the US Marines outside one of their camps “People are excited to get the tabs because many of them understand the dangers of their water situation. Also, they know how to use them already.” A special thank you to the people of Lanxess for their donation of Aquatabs. Additional News: Water Treatment Training: 150 health agents and 36 Monitrices (community health workers) have been trained and provided with Aquatabs to distribute Buckets: Negotiations with the local bucket factory are complete. Jolivert: Jolivert, our first production site in northern Haiti, is producing 136 liters per day of Gadyen Dlo (liquid chlorine).

5 Survive In this Home, Including an Infant

january 20th Update: Buckets are being Delivered!

Ruth Entwistle — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:42:10 GMT

Leogane Hospital

Tangibles: On January 19th, Michael Ritter and Jon Steele dropped off 600 buckets, 1,000 spigots, and 100 bottles of Klorfasil (a solid chlorine product) in Hopital Ste. Croix. These supplies will be the beginning of establishing safe water relief to the Leogane area. Leogane is about an hour from Port-au-Prince and was severely damaged by the quake.

The following supplies will be delivered by 10:30 Wednesday morning to a hanger at the Ft Lauderdale Executive airport for a flight on a private plane to Leogane.

9,700 spigots (20 large cartons) 2,000 bottle labels 8,100 bottle caps 1,900 8 oz bottles 5 Aquachlor AC100 generators 1 Aquachlor 25AC generator The plane and the pilot time has been donated by David E. Lee, president of Air Shares Elite. These materials will combine with 10,000 buckets produced in Port-au-Prince at a local bucket factory to provide systems that will provide clean water for thousands of Haitians. Special thanks to Graham Huff for arranging for logistics and escorting the shipment to Leogane after just being airlifted from a mission trip to the island of La Gonave less than a week ago .

January 17th: Deep Springs International Haitian Earthquake Relief Efforts

Ruth Entwistle — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:34:05 GMT

Partnership: Deep Springs International (DSI) is working around the clock to respond to the devastating earthquake by creating access to clean water. Water, food, sanitation and medical care, are some of the most important essentials to address in the next few weeks as survivors seek to heal hearts and bodies. Deep Springs recognizes the critical need for partnership and organization between entities rushing to the scene. For this reason we are working with UNICEF, PSI (Population Service International) and Klorfasil to provide a solution to the need for safe water. Michael Ritter, DSI’s President and in-country director, has taken the lead for household water treatment technologies among these organizations, concentrating on areas surrounding Port-au-Prince.

Actions: Deep Springs has been acknowledged as part of the WASH Cluster, a WAter, Sanitation and Hygiene effort led by UNICEF which responds to disasters such as the earthquake with life giving solutions. Through the WASH Cluster, DSI has applied for funding through a Flash Appeal to serve 20,000 families (~100,000 people) with DSI water systems (modified 5-gallon bucket and Gadyen Dlo, a water disinfectant). This appeal gives organizations working on the ground today a chance to receive immediate and significant funding to bring in supplies and serve people in desperate need. DSI has also appealed for donations of 5-gallon buckets and lids, bottles, spigots, and labels for the DSI systems to companies and our contact lists. In Haiti Deep Springs has commissioned its Gadyen Dlo production sites, such as Jolivert, to ramp up production of our liquid chlorine product. At least 4 drums (55 gallons each) are currently available for use with the bucket systems. We are focusing our efforts on the suburbs and rural areas surrounding Port-au-Prince due to the increased need for a potable water source and the influx of Haitians fleeing the city.

Tangibles: DSI has received an overwhelming response in the form of monetary and tangible donations. LANXESS, an international specialty chemicals company, has donated an air shipment of Aquatabs, a solid chlorine product, to be flown into Haiti from Ireland. Aquatabs are compatible with the DSI systems. A Port-au-Prince bucket factory which is operational has agreed to supply 10,000 buckets for Deep Springs at a rate of 3,000 per day starting Monday, January 18th. Arrangements have been made for 10,000 spigots, bottles and labels and shipment to Haiti.

Needs: Though we have received many generous donations, Deep Springs will need your ongoing support to be able to serve those affected by the earthquake today, tomorrow, and for the coming years. Specifically we ask for monetary donations to fill in the gaps and provide for needs such as shipping costs, additional bucket systems and training costs.