Nonprofits to Distribute Water Filters & Assist Haiti After Earthquake
A Louisville, Kentucky, nonprofit, Water With Blessings (WWB), is working to get clean drinking water to people in Haiti impacted by a recent earthquake.
This is a response to the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti, which damaged or destroyed thousands of homes, reported WDRB. As of Aug. 19, the earthquake has officially claimed the lives of more than 2,100 people to date, according to a press release by GivePower.
According to WWB, there are two main priorities in their efforts to assist Haiti:
- A mission to Les Cayes, a commune (township) in the middle of the hardest-hit region; And
- Providing Sawyer PointONE filters, which thousand were first handed out during the Village by Village Project at the hands of Water Women in that area.
Water With Blessings Executive Director Larraine Lauter said the water filters are good for three million gallons, reported WDRB. According to Lauter, the nonprofit has worked with teams in several different countries for years to distribute these filters to Water Women, who are trained on how to use the filters.
The nonprofit’s Haiti Team is in the process of coordinating with Sr. Larraine.
"The number of people who die in refugee areas from water-borne disease is typically greater than those who died in the original disaster,” according to the nonprofit.
According to WDRB, WWB in Louisville is working with its team of 24 members in Haiti to distribute hundreds of water filters over the next several days. Seven team members will work on the first mission to distribute filters to the areas most affected. A single filter can provide clean water for multiple families for several years.
According to WWB, more than 44,000 filters have already been distributed throughout Haiti in the past decade, reported WDRB.
More information on WWB can be found click here.
Even more, a North Charleston, South Carolina, Christian engineering charity, Water Mission, is helping provide safe water to Haitians. According to The Post & Courier, a team of around 30 to 40 staff members are working out of Water Mission’s office in Port au Prince to find clean drinking water solutions for people displaced by the disaster.
Water Mission employs more than 400 people in the U.S. and other countries, striving to provide safe water and sanitation solutions through disaster relief and community development.
As a result of the earthquake, Water Mission is:
- Leveraging the 40 Water Mission projects in southern Haiti to ensure the uninterrupted flow of safe water for impacted neighboring communities;
- Transporting seven water treatment systems from its Haiti warehouse to meet all safe water needs for 35,000 people; and
- Deploying its in-county engineers to support municipalities with repairs to get their safe water systems operational.
Those interested in learning more can visit Water Mission’s website to find more information on how to support the organization.
Other efforts for clean water will be supported by the GivePower Foundation, World Hope International, Amazon, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), West Indies Self Help (WISH) and World Central Kitchen. This coalition will deliver 30,000 liters of water to impacted areas each day.
More than 12,000 people have been reported injured and an unknown number are still missing, according to the GivePower press release. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million people, including 540,000 children, have been affected by the earthquake.
Additionally, a full list of charities assisting in Haiti disaster relief efforts can be viewed here.
