HANWASH Honored at Hope For Haiti Gala

On 10 February 2023 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida, HANWASH, The Rotary Club of Naples and The Rotary Club of Les Cayes were recognized at the Hope For Haiti Annual Gala with the JoAnne M. Kuehner Heart of Gold Award.

Hope for Haiti is a non-profit organization based in Naples, Florida, USA, founded in 1989 by JoAnne Kuehner. The mission of the organization is to improve the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly children, through education, healthcare, water, infrastructure, and economy.

Hope for Haiti, as cooperating organization with The Rotary Clubs of Les Cayes and Naples, helped secure and implement Cavaillon Global Grant #1 from The Rotary Foundation in the amount of $220,000. This grant, in Cavaillon, our first pilot commune worked to further the goals of HANWASH by creating access to drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and health education at the community, school and household level in southwestern Haiti. The approach was to focus on improving local systems, strengthen community participation and improve health education. This collaborative effort benefited students and households, reaching 7,945 people living in the Cavaillon and Cotes-de-Fer communes.

In attendance at the gala from HANWASH was Board Chair Cynde Covington, CEO Ryan Rowe, Board Members Robert Leger and John Smarge, Champion District 6960 HANWASH Chair Don Thomas, Haiti Liaison Subcommittee Chair Fritz Pierre-Louis, Major Donor Wendell Christoff, as well as members of the Rotary Club of Naples.