The Rotary Club of Amherst is committed to seeing change come to the people of Cité Soleil, Haiti. Cité Soleil is regarded as the worst slum in the western hemisphere today. With over 400,000 people living in abject poverty, and very few options for clean water, the majority of families are forced to drink contaminated water. The endemic result is children and families suffering from waterborne diseases, including cholera.
Pure Water for the World has launched a major initiative to tackle this excessive suffering by delivering safe water solutions to the residents of Cité Soleil. Pure Water for the World, founded by the Brattleboro, VT Rotary Club, is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to improve the health of children, families and communities in the developing world by providing them with sustainable water solutions, sanitation and hygiene education.
The Rotary Club of Amherst has committed to joining Pure Water for the World in their efforts by donating $10,000 toward the initial phase of reaching 1,000 homes this year. A clean water solution costs just $300 per home and includes an in-home use bio-sand filtration system, community agent training, hygiene education, and monitoring and follow-up to ensure the long-term efficacy of the systems and practices. This 1,000 home portion of the longer-term initiative will reach an estimated 6,000 people, including 3,600 children.
“We are pleased to be able to contribute toward Pure Water for the World’s remarkable efforts in Cité Soleil,” says Edith Hunsberger, President of the Rotary Club of Amherst. “There is terrible need in their community, and we are honored that our club’s dollars will go toward alleviating the undue suffering of the people living there.”
“We are truly grateful for the Rotary Club of Amherst’s commitment to the people of Cité Soleil,” states Carolyn Crowley Meub, Executive Director of Pure Water for the World. “Their generous contribution will quite literally change the lives of families living there.”