From the LWI Team…
Home More Like ThisAs we have discussed, LWI has been – and will continue to be – invested in the long term water needs of Haiti. We are working to scale our operations to include 500 well rehabs in 2010. Just as a reference, our programs were completing between 200-300 a year, previously. This scale is possible, but we obviously need your help. As we each work with our constituent base, our common goal is not to see giving spike around this immediate disaster and then dwindle off when the media leaves. Rather, sustained investment in this program will allow the work to continue…. I think of the pressing need for all efforts of on-ground organizations in Haiti to immediately be able to scale, but to do so in a way that is sustainable.
We have found that the migration away from PaP has happened quickly. Our team is currently outside of PaP – and has repaired 9 wells so far (update was as of Friday – work occurred over the weekend). There is a lot of work ahead of us, and we are working to make sure that supplies are on the water to build our capacity. Our teams have reported that there are already people from PaP in Cap Haitian. So, we know from this point forward, work anywhere in the country is a response to this disaster.
After a phone call with our team in Haiti, LWI’s Haiti program director shared that the team indicated: “broken wells are everywhere; they said they could repair wells forever.”
Thank you for your partnership in assuring that long-term water needs are being met in Haiti. I have had an opportunity to keep in touch with many of you, and look forward to continuing to work towards a shared investment in rebuilding water infrastructure in Haiti.