Bwadom is a community of 400 people in the Department Nord, a rural commune near Rankit, Haiti. This community has 57 homes, of which 50 have latrines. They have several churches and 3 schools.
There is a small market in Bwadom on Thursdays, and people in the community sell their maize, millet and beans that they have grown.
Their source of water was called Mon Dezi and community members had to walk 45-60 minutes to get this contaminated water. Cholera is a serious problem in this area and several people have died from it.
Initially the local authorities were resistant to the expense and upkeep of a well, but due to the cholera deaths, they contacted Haiti Outreach to discuss a new, clean community-managed water well. In September 2013, the community members began the community development program which has included activities like conducting a sanitation survey, creating well rules, establishing the budget and subscriber fees, and meeting with local and government officials.
The clean water community well was drilled after the volunteer water management committee completed their training, and it was inaugurated on December 20, 2013. This is typically a large celebration with speeches, a skit, dancing and eating. 100% of the homes within this community have subscribed to the well, which does not always happen!
As you can see, people organize their buckets in a line waiting for their turn to fill it at the well. Some people have multiple buckets to fulfill their water needs for things such as watering their crops or feeding their animals in addition to daily needs of drinking and cooking. The people of Bwadom are excited about their new community managed clean water well. They know that because of the savings for maintenance built into their subscriber fees, that this well will sustain their community for years to come.
