Molies Osmin is a 52 year old single member of the community of Ba Leroux, which is located in the town of Trou-du-Nord. To earn a living, he has a vegetable farm and raises cattle. His primary water source came from a well that his neighbor had dug. The water from his neighbor’s well helped Molies not only drink, bathe, and wash his clothes, but it was also vital to water his gardens and cows. However, there was no guarantee that the water was clean or safe for Molies or his animals, and it was not very close to his farm land.
Haiti has two rainy seasons, the main peaks are from April to October and December to February. One day during the rainy season, Molie had tied his two cows up near a ravine while he was working in the field. Unfortunately, a storm caused the water in the ravine to collapse and it swept away one of Molies’s cows! Given that they are a huge part of his livelihood, Molies was so devastated, he sobbed and cried out, “My cow has died, and I have lost hope!”
A couple months later his community was invited to attend a meeting that was being held by a neighboring community. Molies was curious, so he listened and learned about an NGO called Haiti Outreach that could offer their community an opportunity to obtain a clean water well within just 500 meters of their homes! Members of his community gathered together to form a leadership committee and start working with an animator to develop the management plan for their well.
Three months later, the community of Ba Leroux had a new well to gather water from! The leadership committee also appointed Molies to be a guardian. He was overjoyed by this opportunity, and takes his role very seriously. Every day, once in the morning and once in late afternoon, he unlocks the doors to the well house for his neighbors to come. He makes sure to keep the area clean for his community members, and also enjoys the chance to greet everyone as they come for their water. The community of Ba Leroux is deeply grateful for this new water source as it ensures they can drink safe water and they save a lot of time not having to hike to a stream.
Molies is thrilled because he can water his gardens and his cow, who is now pregnant! This new role has been a huge help to him as he now earns an additional 600 gourdes (about $6 USD) per month. He is saving for a second cow, and one day plans to purchase sheep as well.
