Well Drilling

Fresh water, from a clean well, is one of the greatest needs in Haiti.  Many families spend many hours each day hauling water from a distant source, often a river that is contaminated.  Unclean water is a source of many health problems, which in turn cause many children to miss school.  Water hauling itself is a time-consuming chore that keeps children out of school or that limits a family’s ability to focus on income-producing work.

Top Plus contracts with local well-drillers to dig wells in area villages for drinking and household needs,, and for farmers needing a reliable source of irrigation for their gardens.  A complete well costs about $8,000.

 

Pit Latrine Construction

Top Plus also builds pit latrines for families in Pignon and the surrounding area who lack this relatively low-cost alternative to open defecation.  Open defecation  dramatically increases the risk of cholera, which has plagued Haiti after being brought to the island by U.N. troops sent to Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.  The two-room pit latrine below has a toilet room and a shower room, and cost about $450 to build.  The latrine was built for a family that had lost 4 members in the cholera epidemic.