Water Projects: “The Other Place”
WATER. Next to child sponsorship, bringing clean water is the biggest ministry of CRF. As you have heard us repeat many times what they say in Africa —
Water is Life!
Usually when I tell you a story about water, I’m talking about drilling for water in Kenya—especially the northwest region called Turkana. There is a famine now in the Horn of Africa that is the worst drought in forty years. As a result, when we drill in this area, we are drilling in the most needed area in the world. Our team goes to Turkana bringing clean water in places where it has not rained in many years.
Let me tell you about “the other place.” We drill a lot of wells that are not in Africa. We also drill in Haiti, especially in the area around Cap-Haitien.
Haiti is going through unparalleled turmoil. There is not one elected official left in the government. Gang violence has displaced more than 150,000 people from their homes. Nearly all charitable organizations have closed their doors and left. A new outbreak of cholera has infected 25,000 Haitians since October. The cost of food and gas has grown enormously in this time of inflation. Over 40% of the population doesn’t have enough to eat.
There are a lot of differences in our water ministry in Kenya and Haiti. In Kenya we mostly drill because they have no or very little water. In Haiti we dig because they have very bad water. Another difference is that in Kenya we have state of the art drilling rigs that can go up to 1200 feet. In Haiti we have been using a rig there that is the worst piece of machinery that I have ever seen. Instead of rotary drilling, it hammers the earth to dig to the water. But we don’t have to go nearly as deep to get clean water in Haiti. In the desert of Kenya, our wells are often so deep that we have to use solar pumps and install overhead tanks. In Haiti hand pumps will usually do the job. A better and newer rig was recently loaned to us in Haiti. As a result, the water operation is now improving.
Andrew Brown oversees our operation in Haiti as he does in Kenya. But on the ground, our water facilitator is Dorvil Djounio. I first met Djounio on my second trip to Haiti. I was in an area called Benjamin where hardly anyone spoke English. Djounio started following me around every place that I went and translated for me. He simply volunteered. As I got to know him—he shared with me his dreams of helping his community, his dreams of marriage, his dreams of planting churches, and his dreams of giving clean water. Djounio wasn’t a leader yet, but I could see that one day he would be. And it wasn’t too long before Djounio was leading the water ministry for CRF in Haiti.
It costs the same to drill a well in both places. Around $10,000 will drill a well in Kenya or Haiti. And we have matching funds for both places. In other words, if you give $5000 for a well—someone else will give another $5000.
I understand if you want to drill a well in Africa. It is so needed. But there is also a need in Haiti. If you feel God is leading you to help here, you can save some lives by giving another water well.
When an earthquake struck the southern part of Haiti in late 2021, our team mobilized to drill wells in major population centers in the region. This well in the community of Macome serves more than 1,000 people with daily access to clean water. 
One of the keys to CRF’s success in Haiti has been our commitment to empowering local communities and building local capacity. By working closely with local leaders, CRF has been able to tailor our work to the specific needs and circumstances of each community to make the biggest possible impact in Jesus’ name!
Cholera outbreaks have been a major problem in Haiti — especially since the 2010 earthquake. Clean water access is one of the best ways to slow the spread of cholera. This well in Plaine du Nord serves more than 800 people and has made a significant impact on the community’s overall health.
