Elisabeth St-Ilbert is a married mother of two children. She works as a merchant and resides in the community of Paris which is located in the Commune of Capotille in the North East Department of Haiti. For much of her life, she had to gather water from a ravine. The flow of water really varied depending on the time of year. In the dry season, it could take up to 30 minutes to fill one 5 gallon bucket and that doesn’t even include the time spent walking to and from the ravine. Her average distance one-way was over a mile, and of course it often required more than one trip to fetch enough water for her family’s daily needs. One day en route to gather water her baby was left inside the house, and nearly suffered heat stroke. Thankfully, a neighbor’s maid saw the child was not doing well and intervened.
Fortunately, some members of her community collaborated to request a well from Haiti Outreach. Elizabeth was thrilled to learn this good news because this basic but vital water source will be a tremendous benefit for herself, her family, and her neighbors. She thanks God and her community for working together to acquire a well so much closer to home. Now Elizabeth, her family, and many others in her area are able to drink clean water, maintain a sanitary community, and focus on other meaningful activities as they spend a lot less time gathering water. Overjoyed, Elisabeth exclaimed, “Vive Haiti Outreach! I feel really happy for this achievement.”
