OUR SANITATION WORK IN HAITI

The Public Health Crisis in Haiti
There are hundreds of IDP camps in the greater Port-au-Prince area and approximately 1.3 million displaced people living without adequate sanitation, toilets or clean drinking water. Even before the 2010 earthquake, 80% of the rural population and 50% of city dwellers did not have access to proper toilets or clean water. And, waterborne disease caused by the lack of sanitation is a leading cause of child mortality and illness in Haiti.

Over 3,500 people have died since the October 2010 cholera outbreak, and 180,000 people have become sick from the disease. Health experts estimate 250,000 new cholera cases over the next 18 months, and the cost of the emergency response has tapped out the resources of the international community. Sadly, these outbreaks can be prevented with improved hygiene and sanitation.

Open defecation and the use of plastic bags for waste disposal is a major public health and environmental problem. The current practice of dumping minimally treated pit latrine waste on open wetlands and coastal areas is not environmentally sustainable. Even in rural areas, the improper disposal of human excreta pollutes land, rivers, and vital water resources, and perpetuates this dire public health crisis.

Our Sanitation Work in Haiti
Most people don’t know that you can safely treat and recycle human urine and feces (Humanure) by composting it. Ecological Sanitation recognizes the value in recycling the valuable nutrients in all organic matter, and protecting scarce resources like water and soil.

GiveLove is working to promote eco-sanitation by providing training, technical support, and environmental education for Green Schools, and community-based composting projects throughout Haiti. Eco-sanitation can improve public health, clean the environment, create new jobs, and ensure dignity and safety for women and children by providing people with clean toilets.

While there are many approaches to eco-sanitation, GiveLove is focused on teaching Haitian people how to do thermophilic composting.

GiveLove established its first successful humanure compost project in Cite Soleil in May 2010, at one of the largest IDP camps in Port-au-Prince.

Thermophilic composting is a low-cost method to treat and recycle human excreta on-site without special equipment or extensive training. Using locally available construction supplies and organic cover materials (such as market scraps and agricultural refuse) we are able to establish community compost centers almost anywhere in Haiti. With our comprehensive training program, community compost workers can easily acquire the skills they need to safely manage these improved sanitation systems.
GiveLove established its first successful humanure compost project in Cite Soleil in May 2010, at one of the largest IDP camps in Port-au-Prince.

Our Green School Program
With the huge success of our pilot project, GiveLove launched its GREEN SCHOOL Program in September 2010. Our first school project at the AMURT camp primary school in Delmas is a shining example of how composting can hygienically convert human waste into a safe, nutrient-rich fertilizer. Over 1,000 primary school children now have access to clean toilets and hand-washing stations at this location, and they are learning about ecology, gardening, and how to take care of their environment.

In February 2011, we completed two new Green Schools, the SOPUDEP project in Petionville, a primary school serving over 500 children, and the L’Enfant De L’Espoir School and orphanage campus in Leogane.
We are currently expanding our work with Haiti Partners to build compost toilets and community compost centers for three primary schools in Leogane this March.

Our goal is to build 25 new Green School models in 2011.

Community Compost Centers
Our team is also working with community groups to provide public compost toilets and to pilot household toilets.

In October 2010, we began working in the community of Tilory near the Dominican Republic border to establish two compost centers there. We’ve conducted several extensive eco-san trainings with community leaders in Tliory and have trained 9 compost technicians.

We plan to expand our community compost projects through our Green School locations in Leogane and other areas this year.

GiveLove also established a training center and demonstration site at the Grass Roots United Base (GRUB) in Port-au-Prince. Since June 2010, hundreds of international volunteers and Haitians have used our compost toilets and learned about humanure composting. We are lucky to collaborate with GRU on this valuable resource center.