One Day's Wages is proud to award a matching grant and partner with Roots
of Development to help capture and purify a water source in the
community of Nan Plim on the island of La Gonave, Haiti. ODW will match the $10,219
for a total grant of $20,438. By supporting this project, we will help bring safe water
to 1200+ people. This will have a big impact on the people of Nan Plim, and it will allow them to take control of their own development towards a brighter future.
Who is Roots of Development?
Roots of Development helps impoverished communities in Haiti obtain the resources they need to manage their own development. They promote an alternative approach to rural development by facilitating a process in which they listen to diverse community voices, build on the inherent strength of each, and complete community-driven projects that lead to a more sustainable future. Their community-driven model include projects that focus on the following areas: Clean water, Health & Sanitation, Housing and other initiatives that empower the people towards independence.
Why Clean Water?
Only 63% percent of Haitians have access to improved water facilities. In rural areas of Haiti, like the town of Nan Plim, the percentage is as low as 55%. Not having access to safe water is a leading cause of disease in the area. These diseases take workers out of their jobs and children out of school and are a major player in the child mortality rate in Haiti. By providing access to safe water, it is the hope of ODW and Roots of Development that a key component to the cycle of poverty can be broken.
What is the ODW + Roots of Development Partnership?
ODW and Roots of
Development are partnering together to fund a project that will capture and
purify water to the town of Nan Plim on the island of La Gonave, Haiti. We are
asking the supporters of Roots of Development to raise $10,219 for this
project. ODW will match that for a total of $20,438.
This project has
four main goals:
1. Build the capacity of the local community
group in Nan Plim while creating ownership in the project.
Construction work
will be conducted by local masons, providing work for community members, which
will in turn benefit their families, friends, and neighbors. Community
participation from young and old community members will take place in the form
of gathering materials for construction, transporting them to the water source,
and landscaping to protect the project.
2. Capture the water in a durable structure.
Roots of Development's engineering partners from the World Bank, Penn
State, and Engineers Without Borders-DC thoroughly plan construction
projects to ensure that everyone's time, energy, and financial resources
yield benefits to the community for years to come. They will be using
galvanized-iron piping instead of environmentally unfriendly PVC and
other long-lasting environmentally friendly materials.
3. Expand
public access to water and treat using a sustainable and low-maintenance system.
Roots of
Development will install a solar-powered water purification system that is easy
to use and maintain. The same system has
been successfully cleaning water in Gran Sous for over a year. The device works
off of solar electricity and after eight hours creates a concentrate of sodium
hypochlorite out of a simple mixture of water and table salt. Once the concentrate
has been produced, the local system manager injects the solution into the water
system and the community has access to potable water. Once the Nan Plim water source is being
purified it will simultaneously relieve the current strain on the Gran Sous
water system
4. Improve
the environmental stability of the area around the water source, protecting it
from further erosion.
Haiti's
environmental degradation has been well documented for years. Due to decades of deforestation and severe
climate conditions, Haiti's mountainous terrain is prone to mudslides. The Nan Plim water source is located in a
steep denuded ravine. Working with a
Haitian agronomist, Roots of Development will plant a combination of crops and
trees, including orange trees and coffee plants, to hold the soil and provide
food items for sale or consumption by local community members.
How You Can Help.
- Calculate your one day's wages or invest any amount to fund this project.
- Start a birthday campaign and raise funds directly for this partnership!
- Form a group campaign (family, school, church, etc.) or share other ideas with us.
- Help spread the word. Email, Tweet, Share on FB, Like, etc.
GIVE TO THIS PARTNER PROJECT
Our Pledge To You.
100% of your donations (minus credit card fees) will go directly to this project. As usual, we'll report back to our community about the progress of the funding and once funded, will report back with pictures, videos, and stories to convey the impact of this project.