HAITI OUTREACH

Did you know that nearly 50 percent of Haiti’s population lacks access to clean drinking water?

Even before the devastating earthquake in January of 2010 and the cholera outbreak later that year, the people of this small impoverished nation have been in desperate need of clean drinking water. This lack of clean drinking water leads to widespread illness and even death from water-borne diseases, especially among infants and young children.

Did you also know that a clean water well provided in Haiti that includes community management training to ensure its sustainability costs about $10,000? Just last spring a 6th grade class in Minnetonka, MN raised $14,000 for clean water wells in Haiti for Haiti Outreach!

Look what YOU did!

On Nov. 16, Give to the Max Day, you helped us reach our $10,000 goal of a brand new community well in Haiti! In fact, from our first year of participation in the event in 2010, it's from your generosity that we've more than doubled our donations on this special day! More than $7395 + a 3000 match was given this year by 77 donors! This is a HUGE step from the $3550 total last year with 33 donors. THANK YOU!

Want to continue helping?

Let's make this Give to the Max Day, a Give to the Max Year! We're always thrilled when we hear that someone wants to put a smile on a face in Haiti by giving to us. Every dollar counts towards saving a life. If you're interested in helping us continue our work building community wells in Haiti, please make a donation here. Your donation can also go towards an array of other projects, as we work towards helping Haiti become a developed country!

Water isn't all we do

Haiti Outreach began its involvement in community development in 1997 with the town of Pignon. Over the years in that town we have:

• Drilled wells
• Worked on and are currently creating a new town water system
• Built the public secondary school and a second building for this school
• Supported economic development through sponsoring a micro-lending bank that opened a branch in Pignon
• Employed 41 people from the area to carry out our mission.

In 2008 Haiti Outreach board members and supporters visited the Pignon area to find that, not only were the additions helping the town survive, but an entire town was developing. For the people, by the people.

More children were surviving due to clean water from wells. The market place was growing due to the micro-lending from the local bank. Parents were earning more money and able to send their children to schools. The town was beginning to prosper. Sustainable development was occurring.

Since this observation was made, Haiti Outreach has become committed to a “whole-community” initiative concept as an approach to carry out our vision that Haiti become a developed country. When requested, we will survey a community to see what assets they have or need. We will then work with the communities to prioritize and assist them in how to move forward in their own development.

This whole-community initiative approach to our community development work is already leading us to respond to several other communities that have told us they are eager to begin developing in reflection of the town of Pignon. We have already begun this process with the town of La Viktwa and intend to expand these efforts with other towns in the future.

Who are We?

• Our vision: "For Haiti to become a developed country", with adequate clean water, food, shelter, medical services and educational and economic opportunities for everyone.
• Our emphasis: Long-term sustainable development, starting at the grassroots level.
• Our philosophy: Reflected in the old Chinese proverb, "Give a man to fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime."