Belchina is a 15-year-old young lady who resides in Demahague, in the commune of Cerca Carvajal. She is close to her friend and family, and cares deeply about the well-being of her loved ones. She also is a gifted student who enjoys attending school in hopes to use the education to better not only herself, but the future of her family.
Her community doesn’t have close access to clean water. The nearest river is Sanmannan and is a long walk from their homes. People use this river to gather water for consumption, to bathe, and do laundry. They are not the only ones using it though; animals also bathe and drink from this pool of water. There is no telling how many potential waterborne illnesses are floating in that stream.
One day Belchina was returning home from school and a friend invited her to attend the inauguration of a well in her community. Intrigued, she accepted the invitation to see what the fuss was all about. She was blown away by the enthusiasm and joy she witnessed in the community as they celebrated their new-found hope. She spoke with the Community Water Point Leaders to ask more questions about how they received this well, and why they felt it was a valuable addition for them.
Inspired by the possibilities for her own community, she shared what she had learned with her father that evening. His response was not as enthusiastic as Belchina’s. He didn’t see the value in paying to maintain a well when they could just get water from Sanmann for free.
Determined, Belchina continued to persuade her father and eventually he opened up to the idea. He spoke with the local water authorities himself to learn about the process and value of it, and eventually decided to write a letter to Haiti Outreach to request a well for his people.
The community of Demahague is currently undergoing the training to learn about proper sanitation practices and how to manage their well for years to come. Belchina is beside herself with joy to see her vision of a better life for her family and neighbors come to life.
