Something Worth Celebrating

When in Haiti it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the work that needs to be done. You see truckloads of people from nearby towns coming to get water in Cange, and you think about how many people in the country don’t have access to water. This week we surveyed the community of Rampsoda, a population of about 700 people north of Cange. They would like to see an expansion of the Cange water system, which would enable water to reach them. As we trekked around to all of the houses taking a census of the names and ages of everyone in each household, I began to ponder how much work would have to go into providing this community with water. We would need to add miles of piping and probably another pump in order to get the water all the way from the source to Rampsoda. Additionally, all of the houses are spread out over the mountains and valleys, and the elevation is higher than in Cange. All of the steps involved are overwhelming, and when Rampsoda has water, then the next community past that will want to have water. Sometimes it seems like we are only making small drops in a very large bucket.

However, these small drops that we are making do mean a lot to the people in the community. As we walked around and met all the residents of Rampsoda, the negative thoughts about the magnitude of the project left my mind. We met lots of women who were the same age as me and had three, four, or five children. We met a lady who was raising her grandchildren, and when asked their names for the census forgot and had to ask the kids what they were. We all laughed so hard. We met a family of thirteen living in a tiny one room house, who had the biggest rooster I’ve ever seen in their yard. We went to one house where three young girls saw me and beckoned at me to come, then screamed and ran away laughing when I approached. Then they came back and the youngest girl touched my arm, laughing at the color of my skin. We met people who would offer us a chair and invite us to sit awhile and visit. It was a day well spent, and it takes moments like that to see the true value in our work. Sometimes I can get lost in thinking about the big picture, but it is worth celebrating small victories and remembering that it is just as valuable to impact small communities.

Speaking of success stories, on March 22nd we celebrated World Water Day in Cange. The day is meant to draw attention to the global water crisis and raise awareness about the lack of access to water throughout the world. However, we felt that it was a day worth celebrating in Cange, a community that has had water for over 30 years. We had a parade, a program where we spoke about the work our water team does and the importance of water and sanitation, and educational activities for the kids. In the afternoon, we had a big soccer match between the Clemson students who were here for their Spring Break trip and the doctors at the hospital. Hundreds of people were in attendance, and there was music and dancing well after match was over. Ashley made an incredible video, which I will include below. There truly is something worth celebrating here in Cange.