World Water Day has come and gone.  About 1.1 billion people still do not have access to safe drinking water, and two in every five people on the planet still have no access to a proper toilet.   The international community has become increasingly aware of the disastrous consequences of the status quo for public health and economic growth.  It will take more than awareness to change the current situation - it will also take political will, long term committment, and a new approach. Read more »

Every March 22nd since 1992 has been World Water Day.  This year's theme is "Shared Waters and Shared Opportunities."  4,200 children die each day from preventable water-borne disease.  Responding is not just a moral imperative, but sound economics.  For each dollar spent on water and sanitation projects, the projected return on investment is from $3 to $34.  For too many of us, a glass of contaminated water can mean the difference between life and death.  You can help change this by taking part in the TAP Project during World Water Week.  Read more »

On the outskirts of Les Cayes several years ago, I came across a school with a bio-latrine that used airless digestion to transform human waste into gas suitable for cooking, heating and lighting.  After one month, there was enough gas being produced to cook a meal for all of the students in this fairly large school, without using environmentally destructive wood charcoal. The gas is without odor and, beyond the initial investment, without cost.  The experiences of other low resource countries might hold lessons for the potential scale up of this innovation in Haiti.  Read more »

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is very active in Haiti, particularly in the sectors of  water/sanitation and nutrition.   UNICEF recently released their annual Humanitarian Action Report.  It is intended for donors, but if you are interested in knowing what UNICEF did in Haiti during 2008 and seeks to accomplish in 2009, this is a good place to start.  The Haiti section is copied below. Read more »

Below is a blog we received concerning International Action's campaign to make access to clean water a reality throughout Port au Prince. Their approach is to provide cost effective tablet chlorinators and to build the capacity of community members to manage them. After reading the blog below, take a look at their website and this short video clip about their work.  If you would like to stay updated, you can also sign up for their e-newsletter.  There are ample opportunities to support their work whether as a donor, an intern, or a volunteer.  Read more »

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released an interesting and easy to understand guide on the relationship between investments in water/sanitation/hygiene (WASH) and public health.  The international community, and Haiti Innovation included, have been paying a lot of attention to food security.  However, children with diarrhoea from poor water are not able to absorb nutrients, are more likely to become malnourished, and subsequently come down with a life threatening disease. Worldwide 1.4 million children a year die (6,000 a day) die from diarrhoea.  In Haiti, 10% of all deaths are estimated to be water-related.   Access to water, sanitation and hygiene, together are key to promoting public health in Haiti and elsewhere.   Read more »

Sanitation is an often overlooked but very important component of public health.  The United States government has an HIV/AIDS Coordinator, a Malaria Coordinator, and an Avian Influenza Coordinator.  However, if we really wanted to focus on saving the lives of children worldwide, we would have a global diarrhea coordinator.  As Rose George writes in the article below, "excrement is the real weapon of mass destruction."  Alas, it is not a sexy public health issue and celebrities are unlikely to rally around this cause.  But in countries such as Haiti, providing adequate sanitation is an essential part of promoting public health.  The full article is below.   Read more »

It is not easy to find a library in Haiti. The Fondation Connaissance & Liberté (FOKAL) wants to change that. FOKAL  supports 35 community libraries throughout Haiti.  FOKAL also supports arts and culture programming, a debate program, grassroots initiatives, a preschool program and even water projects.  FOKAL staff will speak at the Library of Congress in Washington DC on June 10th.  If you do not live in the Washington DC area, you can catch the live webcast.   In the meantime,take a look at their website to learn more about this organiztion.  Education is fundamental to solving Haiti’s economic, environmental, and health related challenges. Read more »

Former Central Plateau Resident, Professional Archaeologist, and Peace Corps Colleague Dan Broockmann sent in the following story about latrine usage in  Maissade.  2008 has been designated the year of sanitation and latrines are important for public health.  Every Haitian family would like to have one but the cost is prohibitive for many.   And as Dan writes, even latrines need maintenance eventually... Read more »

In light of World Water Day, I wanted to highlight a Frontline multimedia piece on water scarcity in Haiti by Shoshana Guy.  Though not recent (it was produced after Tropical Storm Jean) the key issues are as valid now as then.  Haitians continue to struggle both from having too little water to drink and from having more water than cab be absorbed after seasonal rains.  The result is flooding/mud slides such as those which decimated Gonaives. Read more »