Wadson Palarius is a 32 year old farmer and trader from the town of Saint Raphaël who resides in the community of Logalit # 1. He lives with his parents, two older sisters, and one younger brother. Those who know him consider him to be a man of wisdom and humility. He cares deeply about the people in his life, and works hard in his profession.
Often, it’s women and girls who gather water for their families’ needs, but Wadson is different in that he helps his family with this chore. He and his siblings take turns gathering it. Their main water source used to be the Bouyara River which is located a few miles from their home. This river is not always full, and when the water would dip too low to fill their buckets, Wadson would dig a whole in the bottom of the river to siphon more water.
One day, this young man got sick with a severe stomach ache. He went to the hospital and was diagnosed with typhoid fever. The medical care to treat him cost his parents a lot of money. During his treatment, the doctors encouraged him to drink boiled water. It seemed a bit strange that they would suggest that, but he trusted their advice and started drinking water after it had been boiled.
Around the same time a crew from Haiti Outreach was working in a nearby community. Wadson learned from nearby community members that river water can have contaminants that lead to illnesses such as cholera and typhoid fever. Now, he understood why the doctors advised that the water be boiled.
Determined that no one in his community would become ill again from water-born sources, he and his community approached Haiti Outreach to have a well for themselves. Haiti Outreach accepted their request and proceeded to begin with the training on sanitation and hygiene and developing their business plan for how to maintain their well.
Three months after the inauguration,Wadson went back to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctors reported that they could not find any traces of typhoid in him. Overjoyed he expressed: “My typhoid is gone! The water from the well was like medicine for me.”
The inauguration of the new well has made numerous impacts on the community. One community member expressed, “pwi sa se yon sovè tou tout lokalite a!” (This well is a savior for the whole locality). Not only are illness less prevalent, and the people have more time to attend to other activities, but the people of Logalit #1 have grown closer as a result of this collaboration that they have developed and managed together.