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Remembering the Haiti Earthquake: Resilience and Resolve Nine Years Later

Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake
Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake
Posted January 10th, 2019 by Megan Staub.

January 12 will mark nine years since Haiti suffered the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devastated the country. At the time, our in-country Water Mission team included just five people. When the earthquake struck, four of our staff members were driving through the mountains back to Port-au-Prince — Haiti’s capital and largest city — after visiting communities in southern Haiti. “I was driving, and then I felt the car shaking,” Aristil Frenel, our staff driver at the time, told us. “I thought it was a flat tire because we didn’t realize we were in an earthquake.” One of countless roads destroyed by the earthquake. The ... Read More

Indonesia Update: Collaboration in Disaster Response

Disaster relief in Indonesia
Disaster relief in Indonesia
Posted October 25th, 2018 by Water Mission.

As news of the earthquake and resulting tsunami in Indonesia spread around the world, Water Mission had already begun to evaluate what resources were available and how to respond most effectively. According to a recent UNICEF report, the combined disasters that hit the island of Sulawesi on September 28 tragically killed more than 2,000 people and affected nearly 2,000,000. By God’s grace, we are well-positioned to help meet the urgent need for safe water in the aftermath. Water Mission has a long-standing country program in Indonesia, with three local offices and a talented team of 20 that is experienced in ... Read More

Safe Water for 313,000 Refugees

Nyarugusu Refugee Settlement
Nyarugusu Refugee Settlement
Posted June 28th, 2018 by Will Furlong, Regional Director Tanzania.

There are two seasons in Nyarugusu Refugee Settlement, one of mud and another of dust. We’ve been in the dusty season for only six weeks, but already the trees along the sides of roads are orange with red African soil, stirred up by countless aid trucks moving through the camp. Children love to play along these roads, or just sit and watch the trucks go by, so they become filthy from the dust—as do we. Water Mission has been working in Nyarugusu since September 2015 when we responded to an emergency need to supply safe drinking water to 30,000 refugees from ... Read More

Puerto Rico | Powerful Solutions

Water Mission staff participate in training led by Grundfos.
Water Mission staff participate in training led by Grundfos.
Posted March 9th, 2018 by Jennie Pickens.

Since Hurricane Maria hit in September 2017, the people of Puerto Rico have been working diligently to recover. In San Juan, it is hard to tell a hurricane even hit the island. Yet all it takes is a harrowing two-hour drive into the countryside to realize that everything is not back to normal. Water Mission mobilized shortly after the storm hit, and initial assessments uncovered a unique need. With electricity knocked out for most of the island, there were hundreds of rural communities with intact water systems that were inoperable because there was no power available. Power is a part of ... Read More

Focusing on the Forgotten

Sean McSwain (Project Manager) prays with the team before a day of disaster relief.
Sean McSwain (Project Manager) prays with the team before a day of disaster relief.
Posted December 7th, 2017 by Mackenzie Schiff.

When Water Mission Project Manager Sean McSwain sat down to explain his upcoming trip to Puerto Rico to his two young children, he was prepared with pictures of the damage Hurricane Maria inflicted on the island. “Imagine not being able to go and get water to drink. Imagine not being able to take a bath or watch TV for months at a time,” he said. Not being able to watch TV caught their attention – their eyes opened wider. “Our goal is to go and try to provide clean water,” Sean continued. “We make sure that kids like you don’t have ... Read More

Faithful in the Storm

Hurricane Maria caused wide-spread damage on the island of Dominica.
Hurricane Maria caused wide-spread damage on the island of Dominica.
Posted October 26th, 2017 by Mackenzie Schiff.

In a few coastal villages on the beautiful but devastated island of Dominica sit four Living Water Treatment Systems, installed in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria by Water Mission Engineer Nick Mason and a team from Samaritan’s Purse. Through these systems, clean and safe water pumps 18 hours a day, serving almost 7,000 people. Read More