Through a yearlong (December 2010-December 2011) program supported by the American Red Cross, International Medical Corps worked closely with Direction Nationale de l’Eau Potable et Assainissement and the Carrefour municipality to expand our Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities for earthquake-affected communities in Haiti. We helped rehabilitate Tesso Spring, which now provides 330,000 litres of clear water per day to 15,000 beneficiaries. In the Tesso Spring area, International Medical Corps contributed to canal cleaning, repairs and construction, and built a 50 meter squared area for washing clothes, two gender-separate shower areas and two bridges over the canal. In addition, International Medical Corps helped rehabilitate a well at Bois Dioute, which now provides 20,000 liters of clean water per day to 7,000 people. Our achievements include:
• 152 latrines constructed
• 21 latrines rehabilitated
• 39 washrooms constructed
• 20,00 trees planted
• 17,728 community members reached through hygiene and sanitation education messages
• 2,209 community members reached by education messages on waste collection and disposal
• 20 Hygiene Clubs formed, with 304 hygiene club members trained
International Medical Corps takes a cross-cutting approach to WASH in Haiti. All designed and built latrines and washroom units are gender segregated; disability friendly latrines have also been designed. Discussions on gender-based violence (GBV) have been integrated into hygiene and sanitation training to sensitive communities on the risks women and children in particular face in IDP camps. Decisions regarding site selection for latrine and washroom unites were undertaken in direct consultation with an equal number of male and female community members to reduce the risks of GBV that vulnerable groups face when using sanitation facilities. Special attention was also given to community members living with HIV/ AID, and sensitization to HIV/AIDS was given in hygiene promotion trainings. To encourage community ownership and sustainability, we highly encouraged community participation through all project stages.
Before International Medical Corps’ WASH project in Carrefour, most households surveyed did not have access to a latrine meeting WASH Cluster Guidelines; most latrines were not segregated by sex, lit at night, and did not have soap or water nearby. By the end of the project, a majority of people (up by 32 percent) were using ventilated latrines, and there was a 14 percent increase in people using lit latrines. Similarly, before the project, most households did not have access to clean water. Over half had to leave camp to fetch water, a large percentage of whom had to fetch water from more than 500 meters away and wait 15 minutes or more in line. After International Medical Corps intervened, 46.2 percent of people reported getting water from sources likely to be clean. In addition, we made substantial progress in creating bathing spaces that are safe for women.