Organization: International Action

All Photos Two million people, most of them children, die each year from waterborne diseases. By providing clean water to the most impoverished and by installing and maintaining efficient, affordable chlorine systems, we strive to offer a world where every child will attend school, and live to participate positively in their community. Since May 2006, we have installed more than 100 chlorinators on neighborhood water tanks in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, protecting the water supply for 400,000 people.

Focus Areas:	Children, Education, Health
Countries Served:	Haiti

Description of Services:
Our special tablet chlorinators installed on top of local water tanks decontaminate the water from bacteria causing waterborne disease such as typhoid, hepatitis and diarrhea. These diseases are responsible for a dramatically high infant mortality rate in Haiti. The action of chlorine in the water lasts for days. In addition to installing chlorinators, our staff trains volunteers at each site to manage the testing of chlorine levels and the addition of chlorine on a regular basis. These volunteers at each of 100 installations have performed well and become a major voice for democrcy in their neighborhoods. Our staff serve as "circuit riders" visiting each site to advise the volunteers, deliver chlorine, and check maintenance.
History:
The vision for International Action started in 2003 when Lindsay Mattison and Youngmin Chang visited Haiti with a friend. They saw that many of the community water tanks in Port-au-Prince were filled with untreated water, causing children to get sick with cholera, typhoid, hepatitis and diarrhea. They thought this was a tragedy. They realized that the people of Haiti demanded cooperation and understanding, not good intentions and abandoned handouts. In 2006 Lindsay and Youngmin returned to Port-au-Prince with chlorinators and lot of ambition and immediately began forging community relationships that they?ve strengthened and expanded over the past five years.
Accomplishments & Progress:
To this day we have reached out to more than 400,000 Haitians who are protected against diseases such as chronic diarrhea, typhoid, and hepatitis. Children are healthy, and able to go to class without recurrent illness episodes. Access to clean water will significantly influence their mental and physical health. We have installed chlorinators in schools, but also in hospitals where our water is used in surgical rooms to avoid infections. At the end of five years we shall have installed 500 chlorinators covering the whole of Port-au-Prince area. Mothers are our very first supporters, they do not see their children getting sick anymore and can use the money saved on medication to buy food and education for their families.