Safe water for Haiti earthquake victims

Here's a quick update on our initial work to help survivors of the recent earthquake in Southern Haiti.

After a week of effort aid agencies are still having trouble reaching affected families in the Les Cayes area due to road blockages  and gang activity.  There is very little government help due to political turmoil after the assassination of their President last month. Amazingly, there is still some cell and internet service and we have been able indirectly contact our volunteers living in the area.

Agua Pura's volunteers were also affected by the earthquake with some injuries but no fatalities. While caring for themselves and their families they have also reported on community needs and  necessary supplies to start their recovery work. We have already sent $1000 of money donated by our GlobalGiving supporters to start the purchase of chlorine tablets and other water purification supplies.

Large aid agencies from the US and other countries have begun to distribute free emergency supplies such and food and water.  Our focus is more on long term recovery efforts and we are starting to ship water testing kits and small reuseable water purification indicators (WAPIs). These will take a couple of weeks to arrive but will be more useful as families try to dig out from the wreckage and rebuild.

Please consider making a special donation to help families and communities recover from the earthquake damage and rebuild their lives.

I will continue to report on our progess and our work as we move forward in the next weeks. As the extent of the damage becomes more clear we will be better able to plan our efforts for the future.

Tom Carter,