The terrorist’s situation (if you prefer to call them gangs it’s up to you) in Haiti is getting worse, forcing more people to leave many areas in the capital, blocking main national exit roads from or to Port-au-Prince and in some areas from and to the center of Haiti by Artibonite department. The whole South of Haiti for the moment is isolated with scarce fuel, no more propane gas. Buses of passengers are very exposed and if they can pass must pay a heavy price to the terrorists.
Rotarians abroad are doing their best despite of the situation. Zoom meetings of the Hanwash Board, Hanwash Steering Committee and Hanwash Subcommittees continue regularly, with updates on Haïti and on the pilot projects, on steps realized to move the Hanwash program forward and on updates about Hanwash finances.
We are fortunate to have been able to hire Alex Bonhomme, a new employee of Hanwash, he is an Economist. His role is to oversee data collection, in-depth analyses and relevant reporting on how Hanwash is transforming lives and communities across Haiti.
On the ground, The Hanwash Program is moving forward very slowly for the moment with lot of challenges but we are also learning from those. You have to understand that each of the five running pilot Hanwash projects has its own challenges, depending on in which area they are situated, because driving from one area to another might be very difficult now for the Rotarians on the ground, or even for the companies selected to do the work, which is provoking delays to move forward and finish the projects.
We are almost finishing with a Rotary Global Grant, initiated by the Hanwash Program in Cavaillon. It’s a very good project which will provide more water to the city and its surroundings. Rotarians in Haiti continue with their regular meetings when it is possible and Hanwash updates are given to inform the members.
We have lost a lot of Rotarians who couldn’t face the situation or have been directly or indirectly affected and now live abroad. Who knows when this punishment will be over!
