Who We Are
Water 4 Haiti is a Faith Based- Nondenominational organization working for the improvement of Haitian living standards. During the past 12 years we have repaired over 2,500 pumps, some of which had been broken for almost 10 years. On several occasions it was possible to have the pump repairs in half a day and $300 in parts. This small investment paid great dividends to the families of the surrounding villages, especially for the women. This is because the women and children are the primary carriers of the water. Without a reliable water sources many walk for several miles only to find polluted water.
Putting a pump on an open well is valuable for a community for several important reasons. It improves safety, as a child will not be able to fall in. It improves sanitation, as animals will not fall in and dirty buckets are not lowered into the well each time. Lastly, it decreases the labor necessary to obtain water. It is much easier to pump the pump than raise a pail of water out of the well.
We have a small drilling machine which can be loaded into a truck. It will drill to the depth of 100'. It works well in clay but is too small to drill through rock. The benefit of this drill, however, is that it is small enough to maneuver in rough terrain. We bring in our 4" casing from the States as it is hard to find in Haiti and very expensive. The Indian Mark II is the pump of choice in nearly all parts of the developing countries. It is manufactured in India and a complete pump assembly in a 100' hole would cost somewhat over $1000. We do not charge villages anything for our work or supplies. We rely totally on private donations from individuals, clubs, churches and service groups. To create a sense of ownership within the village we ask that they supply cement, sand and assist with labor.