June 25, 2011

We flew over clear, turquoise water as we landed at Port-au-Prince Toussaint Louverture International Airport. The fact that hundreds of water filtration systems, each 6 inches of miraculous plastic capable of filtering up to 500 gallons of water per day, were in the plane’s cargo hold weighed heavy on my mind. Political unrest, and the uncertainty of large packages arriving safely to the warehouse, forced an update to our packing list. The filtration systems were on the plane. The next step included clearing customs and ensuring they remained with us to be delivered to designated orphanages.

Haiti Then and Now

In 2013, the National Library of Medicine published Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Haiti: Past Present, and Future detailing multiple factors and consequences of Haiti’s clean water dilemma. Despite years of working with local and international organizations to improve this standing, the CDC Division of Global Health Protection and Security still identifies Haiti as a nation with the lowest rate of access to clean water and sanitation infrastructure in the western hemisphere. There is still much work to be done.