Lidachele's Story: The Joy of School and the Gift of Safe Water

Located in the hills just outside of Cap Haitien, Haiti, the community of Bois Savanne deals with a mountain of struggles threatening to overcome it.

The farming has been destroyed by the extreme seasons. It either rains too much or not at all. Men raise animals to sell but a family with many animals is almost always liable to wake up and find their animals stolen. Most families live off of what the women make from reselling rice and beans bought in the larger markets. The national school, tuition ringing in at 300 goudes a year ($6), is overcrowded, so the church built a school. The church cannot afford to pay the teachers, so the tuition is 500 goudes ($10 a year) for these students, which is impossible for the families to afford. The church’s pastor, Philome, sold his cows to help rebuild the church after the roof fell in, but even his funds are running dry. If there is a place where economic hope seems lost, this would be it. But as Pastor Philome said, “we have the willing, but not the power.” The people of Bois Savanne have hope and will not give up.

About a year ago, one six-year-old girl living in Bois Savanne displayed that perseverance daily. Every morning and evening, Lidachele August left her home carrying a bucket. Thirty minutes later, she arrived at the closest spring to her house and filled her bucket with the water there. Never treated, straight from the stream, the water was carried back on her head all the way to her house. Back and forth. Every day.

Normally, her mother would be expected to fetch water, but Miole August had developed a pattern of severe migraines that disabled her from collecting water. She felt for her children, as they worked to help her, but the harmful bacteria in the water brought sickness to the home, making her children routinely miss school. Lidachele, along with her brother and two sisters, would make the trek to the stream daily to assist their mother.

Pastor Philome knew that change had to happen for his community’s water supply. With only a few broken hand pumps and a dirty stream over one kilometer away, the 4,000 people in Bois Savanne needed a better solution. Philome went out in search of an organization that could help, and his search brought him across the path of Immanuel, one of Water Missions Haiti’s project managers. After a few meetings, it was decided that a water treatment system would be implemented. A fresh well was drilled, and a new pump installed. The water came up crystal clear, but as expected, harmful microbes were present when the water was tested. The Water Missions Haiti team installed a chlorinator to cleanse the water, guaranteeing it safe for the village.

With the partnership between Pastor Philome’s community and Water Missions Haiti, Lidachele was able to finish her first year of school with access to safe water. Now, this six-year-old girl cannot wait to go back to school on September 7th, knowing that right outside her classroom tap stands are flowing with safe water.

For Lidachele, going “back to school” means sharpening her mind, bringing health to her family, and safe water to their home. Students can rest assured that the water will not make them sick but allow them to focus on their studies.

When water projects are installed next to schools, they profoundly impact every student's health, family and wellbeing. And we believe every student and family deserves safe water.