Update on Our Response to the
Crisis in Haiti

Our Response to the Haiti Earthquake is Underway

The work in the southeastern peninsula of Haiti, the hardest hit area, begins tomorrow, Monday August 23. Our immediate goal is to place 2,500 Sawyer PointONE filters in the hands of new Water Women, thereby providing clean water to 50,000 people.
 
Our team will be up and running with the first 450 Sawyer filters in an area called L’Asile (or Azile) in the Nippe Department. This is a remote, difficult-to-get-to area. At this point, no assistance has reached that area. We think we will be the first organization to provide aid there.
 
We have a young, tough, dedicated team in place, supported by a solid warehouse and distribution network and a dedicated transportation effort.
 
Next, we’re working on a plan to reach even more remote areas where the suffering is great and no response has been possible – areas where other organizations may not be going.
We don’t cut corners on training or best practices during a crisis. The new Water Women will receive the same training as all the others around the world, including the long-life maintenance of their filters.
 
Right now, we have a fund raising goal of $187,500. While we have received a donation of 1,835 filters from our great friend Bill McGraw (Quality Home Products of Texas), we need nearly $150,000 just to cover the cost of shipping, buckets, and training (including increased travel costs within Haiti).

We will be sending another update on our progress this Wednesday.

Until then, please share this newsletter with as many people as you can.
One Sawyer PointONE filter with a protective cover weighs only 3.4 ounces and can produce 3 million gallons of water over its lifetime.

This is the best way to address this terrible challenge. It is simply not possible to ship enough water in plastic containers to keep people healthy.

Check out this side by side comparison of a small water bottle and a Sawyer PointONE filter. The bottle weighs nearly three times as much, will never provide more than one quick drink of water, and its plastic will pollute Haiti now and remain on the earth for thousands of years to come.
What You Can Do To Help

We have created a Call To Action for Haiti checklist for our advocates that you can access by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H1SW7DYod9ar-UK6tFXc-ykeNUrCrkYCVY6Y2S9Gv6E/edit?usp=sharing

Also, please join us for this Friday's Coffee Chat. Our Haiti Country Coordinator Gerry Delaquis will join Sr. Larraine to provide the latest update on our relief efforts.
We believe every child should be drinking clean water. Are you with us?
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