The Water Project

The path to the old water source

The Old Water Source

     Drinkable water is a rare commodity in Haiti.  Our medical teams would state that they could eliminate half of the medications that they had to bring to Haiti if the people had clean water to drink. 

      So, in 1999 we met with a civil engineer from Port-Au-Prince, Penson Penn, who is the brother of our Haitian Priest.   He designed a system of cisterns/reservoirs and pumps to pump water from the old water source to 13 water stations situated on the path up the mountain to the towns around Thiotte. 


Thirteen New Water Stations spread throughout the community. 

     He projected the water project would cost $65,000.00.  We gave a slide presentation to one society of St. Vincent de Paul, and from that we received donations from various St. Vincent de Paul stores totaling $15,000.00. 

     An anonymous Estate, who read about our project in the Madison newspaper, The Capital Times sent us $20,000.00.  That enabled us to apply for a matching grant (maximum $30,000) from Rotary International to give us our total of $65,000.00 to complete the project.

A monument built into the top of one of the water stations reads in Haitian creole: 

JEZU SE VRE SOUS DLO-A
VIN BWE NOU TOUT KI SWAF
MESI PAWAS STE CECILIA
MESI PAWAS SAKREKE THIOTTE
 

Translation: 

Jesus is the right source of water.  Come and drink all of you who are thirsty. 

Thank you St. Cecilia Parish. 
Thank you Sacred Heart Parish, Thiotte.