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The earthquake outside of Port-au-Prince was the worst natural disaster to hit the western hemisphere in 100 years. While Invisible Children's mission has always been focused on ending Joseph Kony's terror and seeing long-term recovery in central Africa, this tragedy shook us to the core and we felt compelled to act. Winning the Chase grant gave us the opportunity to do that. It liberated us financially to the degree that we could respond to this tragedy in a meaningful way. We promised to send $100,000 to support efforts in Haiti.
Our first step was to partner with our friends at charity: water, an organization providing clean drinking water in developing countries around the world. They had already been working with local partners in Haiti before the earthquake hit, and were already familiar with the lay of the land and the areas of greatest need.
We sent our Mission Director, Adam Finck, to Haiti with charity: water's founder Scott Harrison and Programs Director, Becky Straw with the intent of finding a project that would put our funds to good use. The team was met with devastation in Port-au-Prince. Over a million people were left homeless, half of them displaced in urban tent cities, the other half fleeing to rural communities. Hundreds of relief organizations were already hard at work providing a much-needed outpouring of aid in the destroyed city center, so the team set off to address the challenges in swelling rural areas.
Traveling across the country, we learned that over one-third of Haitians do not have access to safe drinking water. And this was before the quake hit. Now, as rural communities balloon in size with those fleeing the city, addressing this problem became more important than ever.
After traveling to communities across the Central Plateau, Adam and the team headed out to the island of La Gonave, where 60,000 people fled to live in the island's already impoverished villages. In one of these villages, called Plaissance, we found that families had virtually zero access to clean water. The youth here were walking for over four hours to and from the nearest water source, leaving in the middle of the night to be back in time for school. School performance was dismal because of many sleepless nights providing water for the family. The lack of access to safe drinking water was not only affecting education, but also the health of Plaissance's population and thousands of others across the island.
With solid local partners ready to implement on the ground, Invisible Children committed to investing in long-term solutions for Plaissance and surrounding areas - projects that will change the game for these island community for decades. Our $100,000 will fund 22 new deep-water wells in Plaissance and the surrounding communities on the island, serving 5,500 people with clean, safe drinking water. Beyond drilling wells, the funds will build 200 latrines and hand-washing stations, and they will put community trainers in place to provide comprehensive hygiene and sanitation training for thousands of people.
Invisible Children's contribution is the first step in charity: water's goal to raise $1.3M for Haiti. The needs are immense, and every bit counts. To support charity: water's efforts in Haiti, visit their Unshaken campaign below. And spread the word.
Photos by Esther Havens
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