Albe is a small community consisting of 140 people living in 25 family homes. During the rainy season the community is able to fetch water from a small stream in this valley, but after a few months that water stream dries and the families are forced to walk 30 to 45 minutes to the Kola river for water. Neither of these water sources are clean.
The community members of Albe reached out to Haiti Outreach asking to create a community well near to their homes. Haiti Outreach worked with community leaders for three months, training the volunteer water management committee on the maintenance and long-term sustainability of the well to assure greater community participation and responsibility.
After the training, the well construction could begin. At first, the road to Albe was so narrow that people could only reach the community by bike, motorcycle or on foot. The community worked together with Haiti Outreach to widen the road, allowing Haiti Outreach’s drilling truck to access Albe. After successfully drilling the well, Haiti Outreach and the community was ready to start construction of the house structure around the new well, designed to protect the well from destruction and contamination and to increase its sustainability.
Unfortunately after drilling was done, rains washed out the road, once again preventing truck access to Albe. This project roadblock did not deter the families of Albe, and their determination was strong to do whatever it would take to finish the project! So the community members filled their buckets of rock, sand and water, placed the buckets on their heads in typical Haitian style, and walked 1 km to transport the needed materials to build the well house.
Thanks to the unwavering dedication and perseverance of the Albe families to their community well project, a reliable and sustainable source of clean water will be close to home for years to come.