Haiti, often considered the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, recorded its first cases of COVID-19 on March 19. As of April 16, there have been 41 confirmed cases within the country’s borders. While compared to many other countries around the globe this might not seem like a lot, we have all seen how COVID-19 […]
Surge for Water’s legacy in Haiti is stronger because of Dr. Pierre Erol Rene (Dr. Erol) of Cayes Jacmel and ASSHLA, an organization he founded formally in 2011, to support the holistic needs of his community. Dr. Erol was born in Cayes Jacmel, Haiti about 50 years ago. From an early age he was one […]
In Cayes-Jacmel, Haiti, we have partnered with the Association Saint – Luc Haiti (ASSLHA) to produce soap. This allows the community to purchase locally made soap as well as providing jobs. We’ve recently taken this long-term partnership one step farther by hiring 4 Hygiene Ambassadors who will help provide hygiene training to the community. Modeled […]
Laure Bottinelli, Executive Director at ANACAONA Community says that “working with Surge has shown me what a trustworthy, sustainable-driven and impactful organization looks like.” While ANACAONA Community started as a soap recycling program, their impact has grown tremendously over the past year (read more about them here). The Surge-ANACAONA partnership started when we jointly hired […]
For most of his life, Jacquet Duclair has suffered from stomach pains and diarrhea. His family didn’t have a water filter, and so they drank water from a local spring without purifying it. Jacquet not only lost a lot of weight and suffered from anemia, but his academic performance at school was also affected as […]
For the 36,000 people living in Cayes-Jacmel, Haiti, there are little choices for jobs. The economy is based on subsistence farming, fishing, handicrafts, and tourism. Young boys in downtown Cayes-Jacmel may choose to drive motorcycle taxis, but there are few other options for them. For these reasons, many young people in Cayes-Jacmel, and across Haiti, […]
“If soap was used for every hand washing, deaths due to waterborne diseases could be reduced by 50%.” So says the ANACAONA Community, the first soap recycling initiative in Haiti. Every year, approximately 1.8 million children die worldwide from diarrheal disease and pneumonia, spread partly by germs from unwashed hands. Since 2010, in Haiti alone, 740,000 […]
Surge’s model involves forming strong partnerships with the communities we work in. We believe that in order to make a significant, transformational difference, we have to gain deep insight to the inner workings of each community. This allows us to understand the issues more clearly and work with community members on finding the right sustainable […]
100% of your donation directly supports relief efforts and sustainable water and sanitation projects The Damage. The death toll passed 800, tens of thousands are homeless and crops are destroyed. The massive flooding and its impact on water and sanitation infrastructure will increase cholera outbreaks and claim even more lives. Government and UN officials estimate that […]
My six days in Haiti by no means made me a “changed” person. It didn’t make me an expert on the problems the country faces. My trip also did not make me an authority on Haiti’s land — its wild terrain and beaches — and the beautiful people who inhabit it. My six days in […]
Surge first started working in Haiti in response to the devastating 2010 earthquake where we provided 170 water filters that would go on to help 850 people. The work we started didn’t stop when the initial problems created by the earthquake had been solved. Instead, we continued our work in Haiti, partnering with organizations such […]
March 22nd, World Water Day, is when several thousands of organizations and people around the world celebrate water. It’s an opportunity to learn more about water-related issues, to be inspired, and to inspire others to take action that makes a difference. Here at Surge, we are especially excited about this year’s theme of water and jobs. […]