You can lie to the sun, but you cannot lie to the rain.

-Haitian saying

Place du Marron Inconu, says a lot about Haiti today.  This powerful monument to the end of slavery is surrounded by tents and shacks, and stands in front of the crumbled White House, The Haitian Central Government’s offices. The living conditions are dismal, with rains coming almost daily, meaning that people to stand all night because of the water in their homes. There is no place to go; and those with concrete floors are considered lucky.  Blue tarps are everywhere, and protect people from the heat of the sun, but when it rains water is everywhere. This is hard to see, and the stories are difficult to process; it is hard to rationally juxtapose a thriving social square with the masses of humanity now living there.

The Place de Marron Camp mainly consists of people who lived in nearby neighborhoods, and  are now living in tents and squalor. The number has continued to grow, indicating that indigents from other slums in the city are coming here as well for food and water. Not everyone lived in homes before the quake; making it difficult to discern the chronically homeless from the recently displaced.

The water situation is a perfect case study for the complexity of delivering  continuing aid: The government decided to stop the free water delivery since  it was impacting the market for the private water delivery services (here the government has not assumed the responsibility of providing water to the people).  Now many people are continuing without work and are not able to pay for the water. Mercy Corps has established a program of water vouchers for people, trade-able at local private vendors, which is a good solution. But there are so many displaced persons–the number is now estimated at 1.5m–that every problem is magnified, and every solution dwarfed. The contrast between macroeconomic solutions and basic daily human need  is complex and immediate.

At Place de Marron Camp there is a strong sense of both supportive camaraderie and angry desperation. Preparation for the Monday protest again President Preval was ongoing, with angry demands for work, food, solutions.  The leadership and response vacuum from the central government continues, and despair and anger are mounting.

Did you know that over one billion people do not have access to clean drinking water? Only 2.5% of the world’s water is freshwater. A few weeks ago we highlighted Blood:Water Mission’s efforts to build wells in Africa, and now we’d like to bring your attention to another organization that is helping to bring relief to the one in six people in the world without clean water.

charity: water is a non profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of the money raised goes directly to project costs, funding sustainable clean water solutions in areas of the greatest need. They also work to raise awareness of the water crisis through events, fundraising exhibitions and other public awareness campaigns.

While this public service announcement is very powerful, we found Scott Harrison’s photos even more reveling of the actual situation in Africa and the positive impacts brought on by charity: water.

©Scott Harrison for charity: water

©Scott Harrison for charity: water

Although it’s not very recent, TakeGreatPictures.com has a terrific interview with Scott Harrison about his photographic journeys through the years, including his work with charity: water.

In 2002, Dan Haseltine, the lead singer of the Christian rock band Jars of Clay, visited Africa. He witnessed extreme poverty, disease, and suffering. His experiences changed him, and he vowed to do something about it. Soon after, Blood:Water Mission was founded in the name of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial gifts of blood and water, and its primary goals are to help rid the African continent of AIDS and provide clean drinking water to the poverty stricken people of Africa.

Millions in Africa do not have access to clean water. Many live in both urban and rural areas where the only source of drinking water is a muddy pool or nearby river, sometimes also used for bathing or a latrine. Diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery, and cholera are commonplace in such communities, and 50% of the developing world’s population suffers from waterborne disease at any given moment. Also, due to these diseases, two million children die every year. Additionally, without access to clean water, a person infected with HIV/AIDS is much more susceptible to disease. Because AIDS directly attacks the immune system, these usually non-fatal waterborne diseases become extremely serious.

Blood:Water Mission’s first major undertaking was the 1000 Wells project, aiming to build 1000 wells to provide clean drinking water in urban and rural locations. So far, over 340 wells have been built, and many more are underway. Raising money to build a well is only the beginning, however. After a well is built, Blood:Water and its partner organizations work with community members to teach local populations how to maintain and care for their new water source. Education and local leadership involvement are crucial steps following the initial construction. In many cases, community committees are formed to supervise the use and maintenance of the wells, providing for a sustainable solution that will last for years. Furthermore, a source of clean water in the middle of the community allows for more productivity. Obtaining water is traditionally a woman’s job in many African villages, and the task usually involved a carrying a heavy load up to five miles from the water source back to the community.

by justbarak

by justbarak

The organization has also had a large part in helping two brothers, Milton and Fred Ochieng, construct a clinic in Kenya that was began by their father who died of AIDS. The brothers were sent to America to become doctors, and while they were gone their parents died of AIDS. They then returned to Kenya to piece together their lives and finish the construction project. An award winning documentary film, Sons of Lwala, portrays their struggles as they attempt to gain supporters and complete construction of the clinic.

Blood:Water is looking for volunteers to help raise awareness and money. Some former volunteers have organized group bicycle rides and school projects to raise money. Amazingly, Daren Wendell has been hiking around the world since March of 2008, raising money along the way for the organization.

Learn more about Blood:Water Mission on their website or blog, or see more photos from justbarak on Flickr.

by justbarak