Inside the pediatric ward of Belladere Hospital, every patient is being treated for some type of water-related illness such as typhoid and diarrhea.

BELLADERE, Haiti– When American doctor Chris Curry arrived at Haiti’s Belladere Hospital, she was expecting to deal with some medical challenges – but washing her hands was not one of them.

For the last two years, the hospital has been without running water, the lack of which presented unique challenges to both the staff and patients of Belladere.

“There had been access to alcohol-based hand sanitizer, but there were many times when one's hands were grossly dirty, and we were obliged to either use the alcohol gel in large quantities to clean our hands, bring water ourselves to wash with, or hope it was raining so we could hold our hands under the rain,” explained Curry, who came to Haiti as a volunteer with Partners in Health (PIH), a nonprofit focused on providing global health care options for the poor.

The situation for the patients, however, proved even more severe.

A malnourished infant eagerly accepts a bottle of water offered to her by an OBI staff member. In just two days, teams connected the hospital's pipes to the city water line and installed a chlorinator, giving the hospital clean running water.

Surgeries had to be postponed for lack of water to sterilize the equipment; families were forced to bring in their own – often contaminated – supply for drinking and washing; and the hospital administration had a monthly tab of several hundred dollars to fill the hospital’s cistern and supply a minimal amount of clean, drinking water for staff and critically-ill patients.

In fact, of the 250 patients that were treated daily at the hospital, more than half were suffering from illnesses where contaminated water was a contributing factor.

But just as water had been the problem for so many, it was about to become the solution.

Together with Partners in Health, Operation Blessing installed new underground piping, connected the hospital to the city water line and installed a chlorinator to purify the city water before being stored in a large 30-foot-high water tank – all in just two days.

“This is good. This is health. This is life,” said Guy Figaro, the hospital’s dentist, as he turned on the faucet to wash his hands in the sink for the first time.

But it doesn’t end there.

“This is good. This is health. This is life,” said Guy Figaro, the hospital’s dentist, as he turned on the faucet to wash his hands in the sink for the first time.

OBI is also investigating the possibility of drilling a deep water well to provide a more permanent, potable water solution for not only the hospital but the surrounding community as well.

“I have no words strong enough to express our gratitude,” said Loune, who has been on staff with PIH for the last 20 years. “The joy on everyone's face at the hospital – from the cooks to the patients – when they saw the water flowing directly from the faucets … and this is just the beginning.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Help break the cycle of suffering by giving toward Operation Blessing's water wells and cisterns program. A gift of $1,800 can drill a well for villages and supply families with clean drinking water.

 

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