The efforts of the Church of the Brethren’s Haiti Medical Project (HMP) to provide pure water to 20 communities via two dozen projects by the end of 2020 are taking root.
The program aimed to carry out eight such projects by the end of 2018, and as of this fall two had been completed, one was nearing completion, and several more were expected to begin by year’s end. Another eight projects are planned for 2019, and eight more for 2020.
Completed water projects include a drilled well in Croix-des-Bouquets, in the eastern suburbs of the capital of Port-au-Prince, and a drilled well in Bohoc, in the central plateau region. As of the last report, a drilled well in Marin—in the far northern suburbs of Port-au-Prince—was nearing completion.
A well in Cannan launched this fall, and projects in Tom Gateau (drilled well), Gran Bwa (reforestation and purification), La Ferrier (rooftop water catchment system with cistern and purification), and Cap Haitien (reverse osmosis purification system) were set to begin.
“The effort to bring pure water to each community where Église des Frères (Church of the Brethren in Haiti) has congregations or preaching points is challenging and potentially very fruitful,” said Dale Minnich, HMP volunteer staff, in the fall report.
HMP grew out of the Church of the Brethren’s disaster response to the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It now serves 28 communities with medical care, rural dispensaries, community health education, leadership training, and agricultural projects, plus the pure water program. Funding comes from the Royer Family Foundation, Growing Hope Worldwide, and Brethren donors. More details are at www.brethren.org/haiti-medical-project.